A Prince from Another World
by van-maniac
Summary: Merlin lives in current times and feels like an outcast. One day, he finds out that the lake in the new park the city built is far from ordinary. An image of a prince and a medieval world deflects back at him. Soon Merlin finds himself stuck with a clod pole of a prince. How will he ever help the prince find his way back and why is he the only one who can? Slash/Merthur REVISING
1. Prologue

Notes: Disclaimer, don't own Merlin. Paper Legend's Big Bang Challenge was exhilarating and nerve-racking all at once. I am thrilled to finally be able to share this story with you. The wonderful **mithborien** over at LJ did a beautiful vid for the story and some lovely art and images to incorporate in the story. I have included the link to it in my profile page and for those who follow my LJ it will be in the master post of my story there as well. Though seven chapters had to be cut due to time constrains, I will be revising the story to include them. Edits to the current chapters has also started. _So keep an eye out for any chapters that are labeled NEW_. **Warning: Story contains Slash/Merthur.**

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A Prince from another World

Written by: van maniac

Prologue:

The full moon shined brightly in the night sky adding a sense of eeriness to the darkness in the city. The birds cried out, moving to perch higher in the trees as the branches waved menacingly in the wind. The few light posts nearby radiated their light at the hooded woman, half hidden in the shadows. Her green cloak concealed part of her long dark hair that curved wildly down her shoulders, the moonlight reflected off her deep blue eyes before fading into the blackness of her cold stare.

She walked through the deserted cemetery with purpose and determination, the blue bundle in her hands doing nothing to slow her pace. The faded sheet slowly came undone as the woman made a sharp turn around two tightly close trees, revealing a pale small hand followed by a faint cry. She stared down at the baby's raven hair and her eyes got colder as her gaze clashed with his sapphire eyes shining with pure curiosity. Delicate ivory fingers grasped the locks falling towards his face, gently tugging them demanding further attention.

His cry became a giggle as the woman suddenly began to run; his small eyes scanning what little he could make out. A shout behind them had the woman running faster as her eyes turned from blue to gold in mere seconds, a bright light shot through her extended hand and slashed through the night for a brief second, making it seem like day had arrived too soon. The young man who had come rushing through the bushes halted, quickly covered his eyes with his arm and then rubbed them, in an attempt to regain his sight and the chase.

"Nimueh, this will not solve anything. You are only stalling, nothing more." The man called out, his voice full of threats and seriousness.

He looked around at the now empty cemetery and cursed under his breath. A rustle to the right, down a path half hidden behind a row of trees, had him running once more and his own hazel eyes turned gold, a faint golden line appeared in the ground. The man quickly followed it with greater resolve as once more the woman's figure came back into view.

"Ligfyr onbaerne swithe!" He chanted in a language long forgotten, a ring of fire magically appeared shooting up from the ground to encircle around Nimueh, sealing her escape and forcing her to face him.

"Hand him over and I will spare you." The man said, his short beard doing nothing to hide the angry expression on his face as he stretched his hand towards the woman.

"I no longer have him and you will never find him Balinor." Nimueh spoke, her voice dense with hatred towards him; a wicked grin crossed her rosy lips as she wrapped her pale hands around a golden amulet hanging around her neck.

"Bedyrne! Astyre banonweard!" Her eyes turned gold once more and her body was surrounded by huge gusts of wind, screeching howls sliced through the air.

The wind quieted down before it dissolved into the night, disappearing with her, and leaving Balinor standing in the middle of the woods in an unfamiliar city. He closed his eyes and tilted his head sideways, trying to hear the faint cries of the baby miles away, muffled by the metal lid of a garbage bin. This time the cries were no longer of curiosity as the baby boy called out to his mother and father, small legs kicking the blue sheet covering him. His small cries became louder, making the lid fall off as a trail of gold faded from his eyes.

Balinor grasped on to the faint sound and locked on to its location. "I'm coming, my son." He called out as his eyes flashed opened, a bright golden hue reflecting in them before the spell took its course and he vanished.

XXX

Author Notes:

I was originally going to leave the last sentence out and have it be one of those great big reveals. But figured that it was not something I could really keep from the readers, it sort of felt like it was too obvious. What you all think? Did you know the baby was Merlin from the beginning? Don't forget I love reviews and feedback, let me know what you liked about the story and go check out the trailer video **mithborien **made.


	2. Bending the Realm of Reality

Notes: Disclaimer, don't own Merlin. Not much was changed in this chapter, a sentence here and there plus a few minor corrections. Later chapters is where bigger changes will occur.

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Chapter One: Bending the Realm of Reality

_18 Years Later_

Job applications, Merlin hated them and not just the "filling them out" part, but the interviews that followed. Last time he had gone on one after noticing their "Now Hiring" sign, they had ended up taking it down claiming they were full. Merlin didn't blame them after all he had tripped four times, broken a glass vase, and spit the hot coffee offered to him at the manager's face.

He wouldn't hire himself either. It wasn't that Merlin did it on purpose, he was just naturally clumsy. Quickly writing a note on a post-it, to let his mother know he was going job hunting again, Merlin attached it to the fridge with a magnet and made his way to the door. Putting on his jacket, he stuffed his drawing pad and pencil into his backpack and got on his bike, making his way towards the busiest part of the city.

Merlin's bike hit the pavement at a steady pace as he passed various shops and dinners, their colorful banners contrasting against the delicate greens of the trees. The sun beamed down on the busy intersections and endless sidewalks, hoping to catch an unaware pedestrian in its rising heat. Merlin kept to the shade and stopped at the edge of his third intersection when a ringing reached his ears.

He ruffled through his backpack until his fingers wrapped around the black plastic casing. Merlin flipped the cellphone open, glanced at the message on the small green screen, and stuck it back into his bag before continuing on. It didn't take long for him to reach two black giant gates, clearly new against the worn out sidewalk.

Merlin pushed his bike forward and locked it in one of the numerous bike racks inside the park. He readjusted his shoulder strap and made his way through the crowds of people heading towards what he hoped was the middle of the park. Finding an empty bench, Merlin decided to wait for his friend to arrive. The heat soon got to him, his clothes clearly not meant for a day at the park, and he found himself dossing off.

xxxxx

Merlin slowly opened his eyes and moved to sit up, stretching his arms and bringing his knees upwards. The bench was gone; in fact he was no longer in the park. He stared at the lake before him, its calm cool waters acting like a catalyst and soothing his mind. The white toped mountains in the distance beckoning him as they reflected back at him in the lake. The grass and wild flowers swayed in the breeze and under his fingertips, sealing the peaceful and breathtaking moment. He smiled as his finger circled around a small stone half hidden in the grass and with one swooping motion he threw it into the lake. The water rippled and then became still again.

The sun was high above the sky now, around midday Merlin guessed as he took one last look at the lake and the birds flying above it; it was more beautiful than anything he had seen in books or back home in the city. The lake made him feel more like himself, like he was meant to be here for some reason. Merlin gradually rose to his feet and shook the grass sticking to his clothes, still wanting to explore the area some more he clumsily went deeper into the condensed wilderness.

Merlin didn't know how long he had walked, but he soon found himself at the edge of the thicker part of the woods. He stared in awe at the towers peeking through the trees in the distance. It looked like a medieval castle with its red flags swaying in the wind and quite big by the parts he could make out through the landscape. Merlin was overwhelmed at the beauty of it as he got closer and more of it came into view. As he stood in the entrance leading into the castle grounds, he tightened the jacket around him, the brown thin material helping to hide some of his slim frame.

Taking a deep breath and growing a bit more curious, he stepped through the gate, avoiding the gaze from both guards standing on either side, their spears as intimidating as the rest of the guards roaming inside. Merlin soon forgot whatever fear he had when his eyes fell on the marketplace and the variety of people roaming its streets. The items, various cloths and fabrics, and accessories all seemed familiar yet foreign to him as he ran his fingers across them, picked a few up, and then set them down as he found another more enticing item to look at.

A smile crossed his face as he neared the courtyard and swerved around staring at the many elegant colored windows and stoned walls that made up the castle. Taking two steps at a time, Merlin made his way inside following a few female maids carrying baskets of clothes. It was more magnificent from the inside, his eyes roamed over red tapestries and various shields hanging on the walls. The endless corridors soon had Merlin lost as he tried to walk back the way he had come, he clumsily slammed into a guard coming around one of the corners almost losing his footing.

"You're not allowed on this side of the castle." The guard yelled as he halted, bringing his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword. "This is the Prince's corridors."

Merlin's eyes widened in fear as the guard unsheathed his sword; he turned around and hurriedly retreated back down the corridor. The guard followed turning the corner a few moments after Merlin and was met with an empty corridor, he hurriedly ran across it calling out a warning of an intruder. Merlin cautiously walked out from behind one of the draperies hanging in the hallway, grateful for his slim figure, and retreated the other way, away from the direction the guard had gone.

A few minutes later and Merlin found himself in front of two wooden double doors, he stared at them with uncertainty; they seemed as if to hold something special behind them, causing the small hairs at the back of Merlin's neck to rise along with his curiosity to peek inside. The guard and his warning were forgotten. He moved towards the doors and clasped a hand on one of the iron handles, hesitating at the possibility that it might be locked.

Footsteps in the distance and metal clanking had him pushing that thought aside as he rushed through them. Quickly slamming them shut behind him, Merlin leaned his back on the rough wood, closed his eyes and sighed with relief. The footsteps moved further down the corridor and the clanking faded to the point that the only sound he could hear was his own rapid heartbeat. He was safe.

"You can't expect me to wait all day, I asked for my bath to be prepared half an hour ago." Arthur called out in annoyance as he stepped from behind his changing screen, black trousers the only thing clinging to his firm built body. He stopped in his tracks as he stared at the black haired young boy resting against his door.

"You aren't Tom…" Arthur said, his lips turning a thin line as he looked around and found no bath and no warm water, clear evidence that his bath hadn't yet been prepared.

"I guess father finally decided to give me a new servant. Well don't just stand there get my bath ready." He ordered and with that he stepped back behind the screen to remove his black trousers, his blond hair swaying to the movement of his hips.

Arthur removed the last remaining garment he was wearing with no difficulty and tossed them over the screen, the black trousers fell to the ground along with the white cloth by the sheer force of it. A muffled thump filled the silent room followed by a curse as Arthur realized he had dropped his towel.

"Prince Arthur, we have an intruder in the castle," A guard called from behind his chamber door.

Arthur moved from behind the screen, forgetting for a moment that he was completely naked, to look at the door. His blue eyes darkened for a moment as they met the young boy's slightly deeper blue colored eyes, which were practically popping out of their sockets. Arthur found himself chuckling, forgetting the severity of the words the guard had spoken as he noticed the blush quickly spreading across the boy's face.

A warm feeling spread from his lower belly upwards to his chest and a slight grin overtook his calm features when the boy turned his face sideways trying to avert his eyes. Arthur moved his gaze from the mesmerizing blue eyes, the long black lashes that threatened to hide them, and delicate features to stare at the wooden door where the guard was pounding.

"Sire, I believe he might have entered your chambers." The guard's voice rattled through the frame making Arthur turn his gaze back to the young boy. The amused expression vanished to be replaced with shock and confusion as he was met with an empty room, the young boy was gone.

"Sire," The guard slammed through the door taking the silence as an answer that the prince might be in danger, followed by three other guards all with their swords drawn and ready to defend their prince.

Arthur suddenly remembered he was naked and reached for a pillow lying at the edge of his bed to cover himself, just in time to save him and his guards any unnecessary awkwardness. He slowly moved behind his screen door, nodding to his guards that he was alright, and that they were dismissed.

xxxxx

Merlin snapped up from the bench he had been lying on, completely awake and trying to figure out when he had fallen asleep in the first place. He stood up to only fall back down as his knees threatened to give way, the dream had been so vivid almost real like and he was still flustered and shaken up by it. Taking his drawing pad from his backpack, he set to draw out the image of the blonde refusing to leave his mind. His pencil scribbled with ferocity against the white sheet of paper, quickly forming Arthur's handsome features and missing the slow rise of his beating heart.

"Merlin…Merlin…_Merlin_," A voice rang through the crowd slowly forming around him and his head shot up to look at his friend Will moving towards him. He set his pencil and pad down on the bench, rose to meet him, noticing the two hotdogs he hand in his hand.

"I managed to cut through the long line and get us something to eat." Will said, his brown hair already sticking to his head from the rising heat of the afternoon sun. "You will have to try and get the drinks, I need some shade." His friend said as he handed Merlin some money and sat down on the bench, which provided more than enough shade for both of them.

Merlin sighed giving in, he just couldn't say no to Will. They had been friends since kindergarten and had been inseparable ever since. He stuffed the money into his brown khakis and shoved his brown thin jacket onto Will's lap before running off in the direction the drinks were located. The city had built a new park in an attempt to attract more visitors and Will had decided to drag him to the opening event. Merlin cursed at the long line in front of one of the many fully busy drink stands and looked around, the park was fairly nice though not as big as its competing counterpart in the next city over.

If anyone asked him, Merlin found it down right odd and creepy that it had been built right next to the almost vacant cemetery. But the park did offer plenty of shade and some very nice landscape to look at, not to mention enough benches to support the immense amount of people currently attending the event. He couldn't help but feel some fondness for the park, once he got past the creepiness it was a very nice park and an intense feeling of needing to come back started to form in his stomach, spreading throughout his entire body.

Merlin shook it off as the lack of food in his still empty stomach and moved further up the line, happy that it was moving at a much rapid rate than before. A few minutes later and Merlin was walking towards one of the benches closest to the lake, where Will was sitting. He paused abruptly as he took note of a man, who looked around his late thirties, early forties, sitting next to his friend holding his drawing pad in his hands. They looked to be in deep conversation, Merlin decided to keep moving, pushing the feeling in his gut that the man was the beginning of something he would rather not be a part of.

"Hey Merlin, this is Balinor and he was admiring your artwork. He thought it was mine, but I told him you were the talented one." Will said with a proud smile on his face, he had always admired Merlin's ability to draw.

"Yeah, you were always more speak-what's-on-your-mind type of guy." Merlin teased as he looked at the man, his long hair and beard making him seem older, but adding a sense of calmness to his features. He traded a drink for a hotdog and took a seat next to his friend, his stomach once more reminding him of how hungry he was.

"Nice to meet you Balinor," Merlin addressed the man, unsure how to make small talk and then decided on concentrating in finishing his food and drink.

"I have to get going, it was nice to finally get to meet you up-close Merlin. That is some lovely work you have there." Balinor replied after a while, getting to his feet and bowing at both Will and Merlin. He set the drawing pad back down, glanced once more at Arthur's portrait and left, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

"That was weird," Merlin told Will as Balinor's words stirred a familiar sense of having heard his voice before, somewhere long ago.

"What was weird? You in khaki pants?" Will mocked as he shoved the last piece of his hotdog into his mouth, ketchup and mustard oozing out to stain his chin. Merlin gently shoved his friend and handed him a napkin, the desire to let him walk around with mustard and ketchup on his face getting more enticing by the second.

"I was in the middle of job hunting when you dragged me here." Merlin reminded his friend as he rested his back on the bench and looked once more around the park. It really was quite beautiful in a simple to the point way. The lake being the biggest attraction, with its deep greens and blue waters floating calmly under an elegant red oak walkway bridge, people crowded the wooden construction at all sides and through it.

"Come on, I have to be getting back." Merlin said with a hint of sadness in his voice as he stuffed his drawing pad and pencil back into his backpack and flipped it over his shoulder.

"But we haven't even seen the lake up close or walked the plank." Will complained as he tossed the dirty napkin into a wastebasket and pointed at the lake, his joke on the pirate reference clearly escaping Merlin's ear.

Merlin was about to leave, with Will or without him, when he felt voices creep into his mind, he couldn't quite make them out. He turned his head slightly to the side and closed his eyes trying to lock on to them, quickly opening his eyes as one word became very vivid and clear in his mind, "Merlin..." Then as he tried to make sense of it, the voices stopped but something started to pull at him and he could do nothing except move further into the park. He felt unable to control his feet as his brown boots scraped against the grass and the pull became stronger. Merlin stopped between the lake and the walking bridge.

"I thought you wanted to leave?" Will shouted from behind as he made to follow.

_I did_, Merlin thought to himself as he slowly walked up the crowded bridge. The pulling seemed to stop as soon as he reached the middle of it. A spot against the railing cleared up and Merlin moved to stare at his reflection in the calm waters of the lake, relaxing his elbows against the wooden railing and his chin upon his knuckles. He kept looking down at the water, catching a glimpse of a few fishes swimming under its calm current, trying to figure out why he had been directed to it and if he was losing his mind again.

It had been almost ten years since he had last had any realistic dreams and hallucinations. The pills had made sure of that. After a few seconds, Merlin concluded that it must be the intense heat and that he was working himself up for no apparent reason. He shook his head and started to move down the bridge, towards the side of the grass line where Will was trying to squeeze through. A glare from the water caught his attention and he turned back to the lake, only to gawk at it with his mouth wide open.

"What the heck?" Merlin asked to no one in particular.

There in the lake reflecting back at him was an image of Arthur, his blond hair radiated in the light and moved slightly against an unseen breeze. Merlin grabbed onto the railing so tight his knuckles turned white. He leaned as far in as he dared and stared in continued fascination at the image. This time Arthur wasn't wearing just black trousers or fully naked, but some type of medieval armor and what appeared to be actual chainmail, even a sword rested on his belt around his waist completing the Knightly look.

Merlin's gaze seemed to be entranced by Arthur's striking eyes, the very same eyes he had just been drawing a while ago. The blonde was even more gorgeous then in his dream and made Merlin's stomach feel all sorts of weird. _What is wrong with me?_ Merlin thought to himself, he wasn't gay and had never found the same sex appealing, but for some unexplained reason another look into the Arthur's eyes had him second guessing himself. He found himself unable to tear his eyes from the young prince, who for all the logic in the world should not be reflecting in the water.

It was his reflection that should be staring back at him, his ivory skin, high cheekbones, and slightly large ears. The world seemed to slow down and fade as Merlin continued to stare at the water. A raven suddenly flew down and landed on the lake causing small ripples to occur, blurring the image until it was just a mixture of greens and blues once more. Merlin continued to stare long after the bird flew off, but all that was left when the waters calmed again was his own confused reflection.

"Did you guys see that?" Merlin said to the two guys next to him, finally snapping out of the trance.

The look they gave him as if he was stupid for being surprised to see water in a lake gave Merlin the answer he wasn't expecting. He swallowed hard and looked back at the lake, was he really losing it again? Merlin ran a shaken hand across his pale face and to his hair as he continued to look at the calm waters below. The two guys shook their heads at Merlin and left rather quickly, freeing up space on the still crowded bridge. Will finally managed to move up the bridge and stood next to Merlin.

"What you staring at?" His friend asked as he slightly shoved Merlin and handed him his jacket before staring down at the lake himself.

Merlin was about to reply when his cellphone rang. He shuffled through his backpack and gave a silent curse when he couldn't find it. His fingers finally located it. A devilish grin crossed his lips when he saw the name on the screen and he quickly answered.

"Hi_ Laura_ how are you?" Merlin spoke into the phone as he pressed it against his ear, making sure to add extra emphasize to his mother's name, and waited for the reaction he knew would soon come.

"It is _mother_ to you young man." His mother scolded through the cellphone, her playful hurt voice rung loudly through the speaker.

Merlin tried to muffle his laugh as he moved away from the railing, ignoring the look Will gave him. He could hear his mother laughing through the phone at their inside joke. Laura hated it when he called her by her name, she claimed it made her sound older, though how "mother" failed to do just that was a mystery to Merlin. So obviously he made it his duty to annoy his mother by calling her Laura whenever he could.

"Well besides trying to pack and getting all the paperwork in order, I am fantastic." Laura added her laughing tone replaced with a much more serious one. "I was calling to remind you to buy Kilgharrah some food on your way back home, he's completely empty. I am not even half way done here and it's starting to look like an all-nighter for me."

"Sure Mom, I am heading to the store right now. See you in a bit." Merlin replied before hanging up and glancing over at his friend, who was looking at him with a solemn expression.

"I guess this means you are going to leave me stranded here alone huh?" Will said as he jammed his hands into his jean pockets and walked off the bridge, his shoulders sagging.

Merlin quickly put his phone back into his backpack and gave one final look at the lake before descending the bridge the rest of the way. He headed towards his friend and his bike chained near the entrance.

"Come on Will, starting tomorrow night I get to stalk your house 24/7. My mom gave me the ok to stay at your house while she is away on her business trip."

Will just looked away and leaned on the bike rack as Merlin unlocked his bike, giving him the cold shoulder. "I still don't know why I can't stop by the house; it's not my fault that your lizard loves to get out of its cage." His friend protested, finally glancing at Merlin.

"You almost turned him into lizard pancakes and managed to break three of my mom's antique vases while doing it." Merlin replied giving his friend a sheepish smile and a hug before getting on his bike. "That is more than I have broken. I'll call you later tonight, ok? We can chat all you want about the unfairness of my mother's taste and whatnot."

Not giving his friend time to try and convince him to stay, Merlin pedaled towards the main gates and waved goodbye to Will. He halted, almost falling off his bike when a small boy with red curly hair jumped in front of his path, his black eyes glued on him saying nothing.

"Sorry," Merlin apologized and moved around the boy, continuing on his way missing the change in the boy's eyes as they turned a crimson red.

xxxxx

Merlin pressed the breaks and jumped off his bike. It was already getting quite late since he had to take a detour around several blocks due to the crazy traffic that had appeared out of nowhere. Chaining the bike to the railing outside the pet store, he grabbed his bag and rushed inside. Rose, the cashier, was working today and she smiled at Merlin as she handed him his change and lizard food.

"See you around Merlin," she shyly told him as he left the store.

He waved goodbye to the twenty something year old brunette and finished shoving the food into his bag as he hopped back on his bike. He was just two blocks from his house when someone jumped in front of him. He swerved to avoid hitting them and ended tasting the concrete with his bike pinning his foot down.

"Ouch…what the…" Merlin winched as he turned around and tried to get his foot free.

What was it with people jumping in front of his bike? They really needed to stop doing that, he thought to himself as he looked up at the person in question and felt a knot form in his stomach. Looming over him with his massively toned frame was Max, along with two of his buddies. His black leather jacket and torn jeans did nothing but add to his rebellious and dangerous look, making Merlin wish he was still back at the park debating his sanity.

"Look what we have here; we were so sure we wouldn't get the chance to see you again after missing you at the high school graduation." Max said sarcastically as he yanked Merlin up from the front of his shirt and towards him, an evil grin plastered on his lips. "Lucky for us we were wrong."

"I have to get going, just leave me alone." Merlin struggled to say as his was tossed against a garbage dump, its rusted metal frame squeaked at the impact.

He landed on the cold ground hard and almost had his breath knocked out of him. The clouds, already a gray tone covering the sun, seemed to yell a warning to Merlin, who didn't want to think of what Max was thinking of doing in a dark and dirty alleyway.

"What was that Merlin? I didn't quite catch that." Max growled as his eyes landed on Merlin still resting against the dumpster, his feet grinding into the pavement as he moved closer to him.

"I haven't done anything to you, come on stop it already." Merlin said gaining some fighting strength as he stood up, leaning against the cold metal container, his eyes landing on his stuff still scattered on the sidewalk behind Max.

He never understood why Max always insisted on bulling him ever since his first day of high school, they had been pretty good friends before then. Max moved towards Merlin, signaling for his two friends to block the only way out, the alleyway being a dead end. Merlin tensed against the chilly air before pushing the fear he felt back down and with one final deep breath he rushed at Max.


	3. Lurking Danger does more than Lurk

Notes: Disclaimer, don't own Merlin only my own characters (Laura and Max). Another chapter that didn't get much changed. Just mentioned Percival, Leon, and Elyan here as well that way when Arthur is remembering something they don't seem to just pop out of nowhere. The next chapter will have a much more important change, the dream Merlin has will be moved slightly forward and replaced with another meeting with Arthur (a steamy meeting with the prince in his chambers).

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Chapter Two: Lurking Danger does more than Lurk

His fist met empty air as Max twisted him around, bringing his arm behind him in a painful twist. Merlin cried out at the pain and tried to pry himself loose. His much thinner frame and small muscles straining in vain, Max was a good six inches taller than him. Just then a door opened from down the alleyway and an elderly chubby woman stepped out, a broom in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

"What are you three hooligans up to now? If you don't let that poor boy go I will call the cops and you know I will, I have them on speed dial." The shop owner yelled at Max, holding the broom as if it was some type of lance, her curly black hair bobbing up and down.

Max cursed and released his hold on Merlin, giving the woman a hateful glare before telling his friends to back down. Merlin gave the woman a thankful glance and quickly moved out of the alleyway, grabbed his things and got on his bike. He peddled as fast as his long legs could move and was soon safely in front of his porch.

Taking his keys out of his backpack, Merlin unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Leaning his bike against the wall in the entryway, he removed his shoes and climbed the stairs to his room. He was about to shut his door when his mother greeted him from the edge of the stairway.

"Merlin, how did your job hunting go? The note you left me said you went out looking for a job again." Laura said as she moved up a step holding a duster, dirt clinging to her brown hair and yellow gloves decorating her small hands.

"I wasn't able to go, Will asked me to join him for the grand opening of the new park the city built." Merlin stated as he kicked off his shoes and nudged them with his foot against the wall. "And shouldn't you be finishing packing, not going on a cleaning spree." He teased, popping his head out to grin at her before shutting the door and moving further into his room to sit on the bed.

"I am going to be gone for two weeks; do you know how much dirt can accumulate in that time?" His mother exclaimed up at him as she moved back to the living room.

Merlin smirked at his mother's reply and then looked at his backpack resting on the edge of his bed; he clearly remembered leaving it downstairs with his bike. Grabbing the black rough material, he tossed it into a corner, his cellphone falling out to rest near one of the straps. Merlin threw himself on his bed and ran his hand across his face, a worried look crossing his eyes.

The book he had been reading earlier in the morning fell from the bedside table and landed on the red carpet with a hesitant soft thump. Merlin stared at the knight on the cover; his sword raised high above his head as if confident that the sight of him was enough to scare the black scaled dragon looming above him. The image of Arthur in his chainmail suddenly crossed his mind and a smile reached his lips.

He picked up the book and moved to set it carefully back on the shelf with the rest of the others. There was something about that particular book that made it his favorite. The story sounded so similar to the dreams he used to have as a child and even more so with the ones he was starting to have now. It made him wish magic was actually real. Magic sounded better than the truth, the idea of going insane and getting locked up in some scary asylum was not appealing to Merlin at all. It down right frightened him.

Merlin tossed one final glance at his somewhat messy room and quickly made his way downstairs. If he didn't pay attention to his mother soon she would find her way into his room to demand it. Pushing the double doors that separated the kitchen from their small living room, Merlin moved to lay a kiss on his mother's rosy cheek.

A few short exchanges of conversation later, they sat around the small table in the kitchen eating their dinner. Merlin finished his food and set the plate in the sink in an attempt to wash it and leave before the next topic arose, but he wasn't fast enough.

"I still say you should have gone to your graduation ceremony." Laura said as she took a sip from her drink.

"You even missed out on your high school dance. Is it really that bad to socialize a little bit Merlin?" Her eyes showed that motherly concern she always expressed when they talked about anything relating to his dreams.

"Mom, it's not that I don't like to socialize. I am just not…I just want to concentrate on looking for a job and an apartment." Merlin stated as he turned the faucet on hoping she would drop the subject. He had tried to make friends, but the only ones that had lasted long enough were Will and Max. Though now all he had was Will.

"I know I promised I would let you work after high school and even let you find your own place, but there isn't any hurry for it." Laura commented as she got up and stood next to him. "Merlin you know you could always stay here. Besides the doctor just prescribed you a new medication and we still don't know what side affects you might get from them."

Merlin didn't say anything; he took the plate from her and finished washing the dishes, dried his hands and retired to his room. Laura looked at her son's retrieving form, moved a wavy strand behind her ear and crossed her arms across her chest, a concerned look on her face. She couldn't help thinking that her business trip had come at the worst possible time.

xxxxx

Merlin lay sprawled on his stomach across his bed, his chin resting on his pillow, trying to forget about everything that had happened today when he felt something crawl up his back and rest at the top of his head.

"Hey Kilgharrah, I already fed you and you aren't getting another morsel until tomorrow." Merlin said as he reached for his pet, sitting up and setting him on his lap. The small lizard, a mixture of greens, blues, and browns, just stared at him flicking its tongue out as if trying to state its disagreement.

"Besides, how many times have I told you not to wander out of your cage? You could get stepped on." Merlin argued with Kilgharrah as he set him back in his cage and locked it.

It puzzled him how he managed to get out every time. Merlin had even bought him a new cage after the incident with Will, his mother had blown a gasket and demanded he keep better track of him; his mother just adored the little lizard, called him Merlin's luck charm. Kilgharrah gave Merlin one final swing of his tongue and curled under its rock to sleep.

Deciding to do the same, Merlin got ready for bed. Sleep seemed more enticing by the minute and there would be lots of time in the two weeks to come to ponder about his sanity. Besides tomorrow, Merlin was going to go on one last job hunt before he spent his entire two weeks of freedom hanging out with Will. He was fast asleep by the time his phone, still lying on the floor near his backpack, started to ring, Will's name flashed across the screen before becoming silent once more.

xxxxx

Merlin woke up in the middle of the woods, wearing the same clothes he always wore in his dreams. He ran his fingers across the handkerchief around his neck and took note that it was the blue one this time. The trees were very dense and almost no sunlight shown through and voices fill the air around him softly at first and then grew louder; he could tell they were coming from up ahead and after a short hesitation made his way towards them. Merlin came to an abrupt halt next to a large tree at the edge of a small slope, the sound of metal clanging loudly in the air.

A battle was taking place down below; Merlin could make out a large group of men. Some were wearing shiny armor while others wore dark colored garments, the thick material clinging greedily against their broad frames. The ones in armor had to be knights, Merlin thought as he noticed the red long cloaks some of them still wore their appearance very similar to the covers of the books he loved to read. He held his breath as his eyes landed on one of the blonde knights, his handsome features making small tingles run through him and then Merlin gasped as he realized that it was Arthur.

Arthur's serious intoxicating eyes never broke contact with those of his attacker. He swung his sword fast and true, right into the heart of the bandit and his eyes almost seemed to turn a darker hue. His lips stretched into a thin line and he pushed the now dead man away from him with his boot, withdrawing his sword in the process.

Gwaine, one of his knights a few feet away, yelled a warning to the young prince. "Arthur…behind you…" His name resonated in the wind, adding a sense of dread to the battle and his new attacker. Arthur turned with ease and ran the other bandit threw before making his way to yet another and another, slashing through them with skill and practice he had learned since birth.

The battle was quickly over as the knights soon outnumbered the bandits, their fighting far superior. The last bandit took his chances and made a run for it, towards the densest part of the woods. He wasn't fast enough. Gwaine reached into his boot and quickly threw the hidden dagger at the bandit it pierced his back and the man fell dead to the ground.

"Nice throw Gwaine," Arthur stated complimenting the well-built knight, moving towards him to give Gwaine a gentle pat on the shoulder before removing his cloak.

"It was nothing princess." Gwaine replied, his grin growing wider as he returned the pat on the back, but with a harder swing, his wavy brown hair brushing the top of his armor.

"Let's attend to the injured before we head the rest of the way to the village. It's going to get dark soon." Arthur ordered handing Gwaine his cloak and making the devilish grin disappear from the Knight's roughed yet handsome face.

The young prince averted his attention to his injured comrades; though they had been ambushed by the very bandits they had come looking for, the few injures they had obtained were not life threatening. Arthur was grateful for that. Suddenly a twig snapped a few ways off in the direction behind Gwaine. Arthur swung around, sword raised, and quietly moved to the edge of the slope to join the already alert knight. The idea that there could still be more bandits hiding in the thick trees above suddenly crossed his mind.

Merlin quickly moved behind the tree and covered his mouth with both his hands to muffle the curse that had escaped his lips at his carelessness. He shifted further back behind the massive tree trunk, only to step on yet another twig, it snapped beneath his worn out brown boots. This time the noise was much louder and set the rest of the knights on full alert. Arthur signaled for his men to move up the slope, he wanted to trap the intruders before they had a chance to attack or escape.

Merlin glanced around trying to figure out what to do. He quickly fled in the direction he hoped was the way he had come, his feet making quite a racket as he rapidly moved through the trees. His brown jacket and red shirt was all that the knights could glimpse as his long legs carried him further onward, before disappearing deeper into the woods.

Leon, Percival, Elyan, and a few other knights split up to cover more ground. Arthur, Gwaine, and one other knight continued forward quickly shortening the distance between them and Merlin. They all stopped near the edge of a cliff; the trees had all but disappeared. Merlin's entire back was clearly visible now and Arthur took notice of his raven short hair sticking out widely from all sides, his tall but slim frame.

"You have nowhere to go, give yourself up." Arthur ordered with a tone of authority, he moved into a defense position slowly moving closer.

The prince glanced at the edge of the cliff and back at Merlin. He could see no weapon on the young man; he looked too weak to be an actual bandit and something about him seemed familiar to the prince, as if he had seen him before.

Merlin shifted from one spot to the next unable to stay still and finally turned to face Arthur. He turned slowly, now completely trapped by Arthur's men. More knights emerged from out of the woods. Dread filled up in Merlin's eyes. Were they going to run him through as they had done to the men before him? He tried to say something, to explain that he was no threat, but the words stuck to the back of his throat.

Arthur was close enough now to see the different hues of blue reflecting in Merlin's eyes. He was quickly taken aback by the young man's delicate features, his ivory skin and highly defined cheekbones. Rare beauty and pure innocence reflected back at him in those lovely eyes. Arthur found himself lowering his sword as he remembered where he had seen such eyes before, eyes that threatened to tear into his very soul.

"You, you're the one who was in my chambers." Arthur said with a hint of embarrassment and disbelief, his heart seemed to stand still waiting for a reply.

Merlin parted his lips to answer, fighting back a blush, but all that came out was a gasp as a sharp pain pierced his side. A dagger cut into his lower back cutting into his clothes and flesh. He could feel the cold metal twist as it was pushed deeper, tearing at his muscles and making the pain spread through his entire body at an unbearable rate. His vision started to blur and he staggered. The dagger was suddenly pulled out, the movement merciless, and a cry escaped Merlin's lips.

"Now you will die and Camelot will fall." The knight yelled with pure hatred, the white of his eyes disappeared as his eyes turned completely black.

Merlin looked down at his wound and grabbed his side; his breathing was ragged and his hands partly covered in a red thick liquid; it was blood, his blood. Merlin fell to the ground; his knees softly banged into the dampened grass and then gave way as he dropped the rest of the way, the smell of it reaching his nostrils. He could feel the numbness starting to spread as he continued to bleed out.

"No…" Arthur quickly swung his sword at his knight with the intention to kill him, his chest felt heavy and his sight blurred with rage.

The knight seemed to be mocking him, dodging every advance Arthur made but making none of his own. No matter from what angle the prince attacked he could not land a deadly blow. His knight had never been able to beat him or block his blows in the manner he was now. Arthur got careless, blinded by the strange emotions he was feeling he gave his knight an opening. He held back a cry as the sword cut into his upper arm.

Gwaine quickly moved to stand between his comrade and prince, his own sword blocking the knight's second attack while his free hand pushed Arthur back to a safe distance. "He is possessed Arthur, look at his eyes."

"Sorcery…" Arthur said as he quickly made his way towards a half unconscious Merlin and kneeled beside him.

The enchanted knight loosened his grip on both his sword and the bloodied dagger; they fell to the ground near his feet. An evil grin appeared on his face as he moved away from Gwaine and to the edge of the cliff. Just as he reached it his expression changed, his eyes now their original hazel color. The knight stumbled further to the edge clinging to his head with both hands and then as if pushed by an invisible force went over the cliff to his death.

"I didn't…I'm not," Merlin quietly spoke between strained breaths as he felt a warm hand touch him.

"Hold on, I'll take you to Camelot. There is someone who can help you there." Arthur tried to keep his voice from shaking as he brought his eyes to meet Merlin's, the sadness there made his heart grow heavier.

"Tell me your name." He found himself saying, he could feel the coldness seeping into the warm flesh his hand was touching and he moved his arm further under Merlin's delicate back, lifting him slightly further up.

"M…Merlin," Merlin slowly whispered before a white glare engulfed him, its warmth soothing the pain and adding to the calmness Arthur's closeness gave.

Arthur turned away, covering his eyes with his hand as the immense light blinded him momentarily before it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. It took a moment for him to regain his eyesight, but when it did he noticed Merlin was gone; blood and a tattered blue handkerchief was all that remained where the young boy had lay. Arthur's fingers encircled around the handkerchief and his lips whispered Merlin's name as his eyes met Gwaine's and the rest of his knights.

xxxxx

Merlin fell off his bed and hit the floor hard, his body was completely covered in sweat and his breathing was uneven. He raised his head to look around in the darkness, making sure he really was in his room and not in some woods bleeding to death. As his mind connected the dots between the familiar shadows and shapes of his belongings and his room, Merlin pushed himself off the floor with a heavy sigh.

His breathing came more naturally now that his mind had reached the conclusion that it had all just been another dream. But Merlin couldn't help and think about how real his dreams were starting to be now, each one more real than the one before it. The cold steal cutting into his flesh, the sound of Arthur's voice, his handsome yet sad blue eyes, and the smell of wet grass still lingered clearly in his mind.

Merlin moved to the other side of his bed and pulled open the top drawer of his dresser. He reached inside for his medicine bottle before he remembered that he had left it downstairs in the kitchen. His fingers nudged against the bottle resting conveniently inside. He grabbed it, managed to rattle two small pills from inside it before putting them right back. Tossing the container back in the drawer, Merlin threw himself on the bed and kicked the sheets to the floor to follow the first one he had tossed aside in his sleep.

He was frustrated, annoyed, and simply right out enraged by how less out of place he felt in his dreams compared to the real world. Taking his medication scared him, it would put an end to them and Merlin wanted to see Arthur again, however crazy that sounded. Of course he could do without having a dagger jammed to his back and people trying to kill him, but the rest felt right.

After a few more minutes of staring at the ceiling Merlin felt the sleepiness come back and he fell asleep once more. The freshly made cut on his side remained unnoticed under his shirt and the trail of blood concealed by the pitch darkness of the room. Even the slightly faded golden glow illuminating through the fabric, surrounding the cut, paralyzing the pain and healing it, was misunderstood for the alarm clock light beaming 2AM.

xxxxx

The sun shined brightly through the thin light blue curtains and filled the room with its warm rays. A buzzing sound rang through the enclosure, the alarm now read 7AM and it moved violently on the edge of the dresser threatening to jump off. Merlin stirred from his sleep, rubbed at his eyes and twisted to his right to slam his hand at the snooze button helping the alarm clock fall the rest of the way.

Merlin cursed softly as he rose from his bed to pick it up and set it back on the dresser. He groggily glanced at the three drawers, too lazy to open any of them and start his day. Managing to get his shirt off, he tossed it to the floor before lying back onto the bed, a groan escaping his lips. Merlin lazily closed his eyes and brought his arms under his pillow, his head still resting on it. A banging from downstairs echoed through the wooden floorboards and Merlin reluctantly moved to sit up, struggling with his desire to ignore that noise as well.

"Merlin, sweetie my taxi will be here in half an hour." His mother yelled through the many old layers of wood treatments and the new red carpet, a complete contrast to his chaotic room.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Merlin exclaimed and made his way to the bathroom.

He undressed, throwing his blue plaited pajamas and boxers into a bin under the sink, and parted the shower curtain. Something in the mirror caught his attention and his eyes fell on the reflection of himself, gasping in surprise at the dried blood on his side. He nervously wiped at it with a wet towel and wrinkled his eyebrows at the slightly pink skin underneath.

"What the heck?" Merlin asked himself as he wondered where all that blood had come from.

He turned further to his side to get a better view and stared at his backside, realizing the skin there was also caked in dried blood. Then the memories of last night's dream came rushing back to him. The dagger had pierced his body in the exact same area. Merlin dropped the towel and staggered against the sink as his breathing increased and his vision blurred.

"No, I am just imagining it, a side effect to the new prescription." He reassured himself and then he remembered he hadn't taken them last night.

In fact Merlin was having a hard time remembering when he had last taken them. Quickly grabbing a clean towel and wrapping it around his naked body, he rushed to his drawer to check. His gaze shifted to the sheets and the shirt he had been wearing, they lay next to the bed, the blood stains on them very obvious in the day light. Merlin's knees gave way and he fell to the ground before he could open the drawer and reach for his pills. His eyes were still glued to the blood stains on the sheets; they were covering a good portion of the material.

_This isn't real!_ Merlin thought to himself as he ran his shaken fingers across the red stains. "Mom has to be playing some kind of sick joke." Payback for all the calls from the principal's office and the detentions that almost threatened to keep him from graduating, Merlin told himself.

A warm sensation spread through his body, Merlin tossed his head back and his eyes turned a golden hue. He closed his eyes and buckled forward, rocking himself in an attempt to deal with the pain that spread through his body even stronger. It didn't last long, the pain and the strange feeling were gone, he looked at his side but there was nothing there except regular smooth ivory skin. Merlin's eyes rested on the now white sheets. A light knock on his door shook him back into action. He rapidly rose to his feet and made his way back to the bathroom, the bloodied towel also plain white against the marble floor.

"I'll be out in a bit mom, taking a quick shower first." Merlin replied as he locked himself in the bathroom just in case his mother decided to come in, his medication once more forgotten.

He took the coldest shower he could, drove all thoughts of what had just happened from his mind and dressed quickly in a faded pair of jeans and a red t-shirt followed by his favorite brown jacket. Stomping down the stairs in his only pair of sneakers that didn't look like they had been in a deadly fight with the grass, he reached the front door before his mother got out.

"You weren't leaving without saying goodbye where you mom?" He smiled at her, quickly grabbing her suitcase and caring it down the steps towards the taxi waiting on the curb.

"Don't forget to call me every night and remember the emergency contacts are on the fridge." Laura reminded her son as she followed.

Merlin jammed the suitcase into the trunk with the other four resting on the sidewalk before turning his attention back to his mother. Laura smiled at him and planted a kiss on his well-defined cheek. She gave him one last hug and entered the cab, hiding the tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

"Everything will be fine mom; you enjoy your trip and nail that contract." Merlin assured his mother as he closed the door for her and waved goodbye.

The taxi moved up the street its tires almost gliding over the pavement. Once the vehicle went around the bend, Merlin ran up the stairs, poured food into Kilgharrah's bowl, and then chanced a glance at the drawer where his pills were safely tucked away. Grabbing his backpack instead, he moved to get the extra set of house keys, resting on a hook near the door. Pushing his bike off the wall and down the porch steps, Merlin pedaled towards the direction of Will's house.

Merlin felt a similar pull like before and kept looking over his shoulder, the desire to go back to the park growing stronger the further he went away from it. He brought his bike to a halt and stared at his cellphone with the one missed call symbol still flashing in the corner and then at the direction of the park. Stuffing his phone back into his bag he pedaled towards the park.


	4. From Weird to just plain Spooky

Chapter Three: From Weird to just plain Spooky & a Much needed Rescue

Chaining his bike to the bike rack and taking his iPod out of his bag, Merlin headed for the bridge. He passed an old couple sitting on a bench throwing dry rice at the few brave birds that dared to hop closer. Merlin found he was looking into the water half expecting the reflection of Arthur to be there. It wasn't, water a little murkier than before was all that met his gaze. He rested his elbows on the railing and stared out at the sky, the trees and flowers swayed with the light chilly breeze that seemed to have come from nowhere.

Merlin put on his headphones, pushed the silver play button on his iPod and music filled his ears. He continued to perch on the railings, admiring the scenery and enjoying the shade the clouds provided. A young couple walked up the bridge and stopped next to him. Merlin didn't notice them in time and bumped into them as he moved further up, getting a bit embarrassed as he noticed they had been in the middle of a kiss.

"I'm sorry," He quickly apologized.

The brunette smiled at Merlin and then giggled as her boyfriend who totally ignored Merlin and tried to run his hand under her blouse instead. She playfully slapped his hand away and moved down the bridge with him towards the gate. Merlin looked at his watch, his cheeks a shade of red, and moved off the railing taking note that it was a little past noon. He still had to stop by the shop Will had told him was currently hiring before he headed over to his friend's house.

With the thought that maybe his luck would be better luck today and one final sigh, Merlin moved down the bridge pushing the desire to stay longer aside. Again, just as he was about to step down, a glimmer in the water caught his attention. He stared in awe at the image of Arthur. Gorgeous golden locks of hair and deep pools of blue starred back at him. This time the young prince was wearing a simple red shirt, the ties on his neck line loose and undone revealing some of the firm chest underneath.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, a frustrated look on his face as he stood in his room. The old fashioned stoned walls and ancient looking candle holders stood firmly in the background, exactly in the same spot Merlin had last seen them in. Merlin leaned forward in an attempt to copy it to memory. There was something about the prince that intrigued him. He couldn't help but think that Arthur was born to be nothing less than a royal, his strikingly beautiful features and strong posture reminded Merlin of the princes and kings in his books.

_How he wished Arthur was real._

Shaking his head at the outrageous thought, he returned his attention to the lake and held his breath as the prince turned towards him and seemed to stare right at Merlin. His expression seemed to change slightly as if he could actually see him and then Arthur smiled, his slightly imperfect teeth only serving to add to his princely charm.

Merlin removed his headphones and nervously stuck them in his pocket, his iPod completely forgotten. His face turned bright red once more as Arthur's intoxicating eyes continued to stare at him; his body reacting to them in a confusing way, making his heart beat rapidly and heavy against his chest. Then Merlin almost fell into the water as the young man, who had been next to him earlier with the brunette, stepped up the bridge.

"What you dropped something in the water?" The young man asked as he bent over to pick up a silver bracelet resting on the edge of the bridge floor and moved to leave.

Merlin simply smiled nervously and then his face filled with hesitation. The guy had to notice Arthur's reflection in the lake, he just had to. Maybe the first time had been a fluke and he wasn't really the only one who could see it. It was still there and Merlin turned back to it, the water rippled again and threatened to make the image disappear. As the young man turned to leave Merlin grabbed his arm.

"Wait! Can you see it, in the water?" Merlin held his breath.

The young man looked at the lake, then at Merlin's hand on his arm, and up at his face. "I don't know what you are talking about it's just a lake, there's nothing there but water." And with that he jerked his arm free and walked back to the gate towards his girlfriend, waving the bracelet in the air to let her know he had found it.

Merlin just stood there still unable to process it all in. It was happening all over again, not just the dreams but everything else. He stumbled off the bridge as the image faded and made his way blindly to his bike. Merlin slowly peddled towards the gate, this time managing to swerve around the same little boy from the previous day. However, he was still forced to bring his bike to a halt as the boy's small hand circled around the handlebar.

"I have finally found you Emrys." The little boy said with a voice lacking any real emotion, his cold eyes half hidden behind the locks that had fallen against his face. "Don't come back here or you'll be sorry." His words cut through the quite air, heavy and full of spite.

"Huh I'm sorry but my name isn't Emrys, you have the wrong guy." Merlin said as he awkwardly moved his bike further away from the boy, loosening the handlebar free.

He didn't understand what the little boy was referring to, the park was open to the public every day of the week; it wasn't like he was trespassing or breaking any law by being here. The boy's eyes never left Merlin, as they watched him pass the metal gates, move through the small crowd forming outside the park, until he disappear around a bend.

xxxxx

Merlin reached Will's house and dreaded ringing the doorbell. His friend would demand to know why he still hadn't returned his call and come to his house earlier. He would want to know how his job hunting went and he wasn't very excited to tell his friend how bad he had done this time around. He moved to walk back down the driveway when the door opened to reveal Will standing in the doorway.

"You weren't planning on leaving me stranded alone again were you?" Will asked with one of his- buddies for life look.

Sighing, Merlin shook his head as to say no and stepped in with his bike as his friend stepped away from the door and back into the living room to stand right under a grand glass chandelier. Today had been a very long day and he simply wanted to sit down and relax. He quickly storage his bike in the closet to the right, where he always kept it when he was over, and moved towards Will.

"How did it go? Any luck?" his friend asked as he started to climb the stairway that extended three floors, wool carpet with golden trimmings decorating every step.

"Are you really going to stay in your pajamas all day? You're going to turn into a couch potato, you know." Merlin teased trying to change the subject.

"Yes, my parents are out on a date and that means I can do pretty much anything I want until they get back." Will grinned as he patted the railing. "Let's go to my room, I want you to tell me how your interview went, I want to know every detail." his heartfelt smile making it hard for Merlin to do anything but follow.

Merlin sat next to his friend, sprawled on a bean bag with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He set his bag down and did his best to avoid his friend's questioning stare. Will was quite stubborn just like his mom and if he didn't get what he wanted Merlin would have to spend the rest of the weekend hearing him whine about it.

"I bombed it, horribly. I mean nuclear type of bomb." Merlin admitted as he turned his attention to the TV, running his fingers against the green rubber material that his friend considered furniture. The silence from his friend urged him to continue, "Let's just say they are going to need new blinds, preferably fire proof ones."

"Aw Merlin its ok, you still have that book store that just opened up with plenty of burning material for you." Merlin's eyes bulged out of their sockets as his friend burst out laughing, falling out of his red bean bag. "I just got to go with you next time!" Will managed to say before another wave of laughter left him unable to speak.

"We could…..toast some smores over the fire." He cracked, clinging to his ribs and laughing even harder.

"It's not funny! Someone could have gotten hurt." Merlin exclaimed as he got up from the bean bag and stomped out of the room and down the stairs.

Slamming the door, he got his bike and stormed across the driveway. He stopped when he remembered his bag was still inside. He paced the driveway trying to decide whether to leave without it and come back later for it or not, he was so embarrassed and upset. Merlin, the clumsy idiot who couldn't get anything right, that was him alright.

And to top it off all types of weird things were happening to him, the possibility of him turning crazy didn't seem to make it any better. The door slowly opened, Will remained silent for a while trying to come up with the right words to say. They had been friends mostly all their life, but it still didn't make it easier for Will to know what to say especially when he was the reason Merlin was upset.

"Merlin I'm sorry. It's natural to mess up." A slight pause and he continued, "Well no one is as clumsy as you…" his voice changed a bit as if he was still teasing before becoming serious again. "We can go watch the Lunar Eclipse tonight if you want. Just promise me that you won't give up on a normal life."

Merlin could hear his friend's soft footsteps as he went back up the stairs. He turned to face the house and noticed the door had been left slightly open. Will knew about his condition, about the dreams and hallucinations that plagued him as a child, and about the temporary solution to them all. He felt bad for acting the way he had, Will was just being Will. But he wasn't ready to forgive his friend yet; he would torture him a little first, after all that was what friends were for.

He moved back to the door and then jumped up in surprise as something climbed up his leg, his bike slamming to the ground. Merlin flared his leg around, kicking whatever was clinging to his pants off, and heard a thump as something hit the grass at the edge of the pavement. Guilt ran through him as soon as he realized it was his pet lizard, he must have sneaked into his bag and rushed out to meet him after sensing that he might be left behind. Bending down Merlin reached for him, but Kilgharrah sprinted up a tree and hid behind some leaves, obviously hurt from being tossed around.

"Come on Kilgharrah, you know I didn't know it was you and besides you aren't supposed to be here." Merlin called out to his pet.

After a few more failed attempts at getting his hands on his lizard, Merlin gave up and sat on Will's doorstep. He decided to wait for his lizard to come back down on his own so that he could take him home. Soon Merlin found himself dozing off, his back leaning on the doorframe. The food he had eaten before coming to visit his friend made him drowsy, even more than normal.

xxxxx

Merlin's dream this time around was different, it felt off; his dream was filled with a mixture of images. Images of the park, the lake and of his previous dreams circled around in his mind. One particular image seemed to take up a large portion of his dream, a certain blond in shining armor with sad blue eyes causing a sadness to spread through his entire body and tear at his heart.

Then he was back at the park, standing on the bridge and Arthur's reflection shined clearly in the middle of the lake. He stared right at Merlin, just like before, and his lips moved as if trying to say something, but Merlin couldn't make any of it out. He leaned over the bridge for a closer look, turning his face sideways and bringing his ear closer as if that would help him hear better.

The water glimmered even brighter in response to his reaction to reflect a slightly different scene. This time Arthur was in his armor again, he moved back against the dark wall of a cave. A huge shadow of some type of creature cast over the prince's turned back and Merlin tried to call out a warning. He leaned even further in and ended up falling right into the water with a loud splash. Merlin quickly sank into the water; he kicked his legs and moved his arms in an attempt to swim back to the surface.

He couldn't get out, he only seemed to sink deeper; it was as if the water was holding on to him, making him heavier and dragging him further into its cold depths. Again, Merlin swam upwards towards the surface; he could see the bridge through the murky water before he broke through and breathed in a deep gasp of air.

Something wrapped around his ankles and pulled him back into the lake and refused to let go until he was almost at the bottom. Green coils of grass tore at his clothes, blood spilling around him turning the water red. Merlin struggled to set himself free, but couldn't hold his breath any longer and he began to drown, his body jerking one last time against his binds before becoming still.

As his body sank further into the darkness of the water Merlin woke up with a jerk, sweat plastered on his forehead and his breathing fast and erratic. His entire body shook. He moved off the doorframe's edge, falling back into the entrance of his friend's house, prying the door the rest of the way open and smacking Will in the nose.

"Ouch, what the hell…?" Will cursed as he rubbed his ruby colored nose and stared murderously at Merlin lying at his feet. "I came to check on you, since you never came back to my room, and this is what I get," his hurt expression matching the hurt in his voice.

"What?" Merlin said confused trying to remember his dream, parts of it already slipping into his sub consciousness as his mind became more awake, and barely grasping the fact that he had accidently slammed the door into his friend's face.

"Forget it Merlin, if you want to come back later after you have cooled off you know where the extra key is hidden." Will said before tossing Merlin his bag and closing the door, locking it behind him.

"Wait, Will I'm sorry." Merlin cried out through the thick wood, his bag falling to his feet.

The door remained locked and he cursed as he heard his friend's footsteps running up the stairs. He moved to get the key from its hidden place when Kilgharrah rushed back into his bag. He stared at his bag and gave up, he would take Kilgharrah home and then come back to properly apologize to Will. Picking his bag up before his lizard had a chance to change his mind, Merlin rode towards his house.

xxxxx

Merlin had decided to cut through a less populated street, to cut time off his trip back home. He gave the shady look of the buildings no mind and pedaled towards the end of the street. Before he got half way down the street, Merlin found himself on his back on the dirtied curb, his scrapped knee reminding him of the cemented ground beneath him. Rising to his feet, he picked up his bike and scanned for his bag catching the fleeting figure of his lizard as he scurried off behind a building.

"Dammit," Merlin cursed as he moved to get back on his bike, kicking the large rock that had caused his bike to pivot.

His knee throbbed and was slightly bleeding through his now torn jeans. He was suddenly jerked back and something hard banged against his head knocking him back to the ground. As the darkness surrounded his vision and threatened to engulf it, Merlin felt a hand grasp his hair and tug his face upwards, a familiar voice echoed in his ears. Everything went dark and the last thing he heard was laughter slice through the quite blackness.

xxxxx

The noises around him started to come back into focus and Merlin slowly opened his eyes, taking in his new surroundings he cursed again under his breath. The gray walls and worn out brown carpet under him didn't provide a comforting feeling. His eyes took in the rest of the empty room and stopped at the red faded door on the opposite end.

Merlin rose and tried to move, finding his right hand cuffed to a rusted old heating unit, he trashed around clawing at the slim silver metal clinging greedily to his thin wrist. Laughter filled the room as Max and his two buddies stepped through the door. He tugged one more time before pressing himself against the wall, taking note of the evil grin plastered on Max's face.

"Merlin, I see you are enjoying your new accessory. I had jerk face here snag it from his dad so it's genuine." Max mocked as he shoved his friend against a wall and jugged the rest of his beer down.

"Hey watch it you'll make me spill the beer." The jerk in question said.

More laughter filled the room followed by rattling beer bottles and broken glass. Once all the liquor was gone Max's attention moved back to Merlin. His friends skimmed through the empty bottles hoping to find one that still contained some beer and then tossed them one by one against the wall to shatter.

"Let me go Max, I don't understand why you're doing this. We used to be friends." Merlin pleaded as he tugged on the cuffs hoping the old heater would give way.

"Do you really not know?" Max snared at him bearing his teeth, his voice filled with venomous anger.

"You tease me and then stare at me in that ignorant way of yours. You're doing it right now too!" He slapped Merlin hard across the face and brought his fist down, slamming it into Merlin's flat stomach, making him topple over from the pain.

"I never… I don't know what you are talking about…" Merlin huffed between gasps as Max kicked him, harder each time.

He bit his bottom lip just hard enough to hold his cries back. Max tugged at his hair, bringing Merlin back up and his face towards him. The drunken bully stood there unmoving as if trying to decide what to do next, some of his black hair falling against his face. His eyes got even darker as an idea flashed in them and he turned to his friends.

"Go stand guard in the hallway and lock the door behind you."

His friends hesitated, some of their alcohol induced haze fading to be replaced with real worry as they stared at Merlin.

Merlin was about to say something, but the words never came out, his mouth was suddenly covered with Max's rough lips. His eyes widened as he looked in total shock at the older guy's closed eyes, his scuffed jaw rubbing against Merlin's chin. A wet tongue pried his teeth apart, filling his mouth with the taste of beer, and firm hands moved under his shirt tugging at his pants.

He pushed as hard as he could against Max's chest with his free hand and trashed beneath him, his body shaking with pure fear at what the tug hinted at. Max pulled his lips away and stared at him with clouded brown eyes still half hidden behind straight locks; he tightened his grip on Merlin's pants and pulled Merlin towards him, pressing the hardness between his hips against him.

"You are the one at fault here Merlin, making me feel this way and then playing innocent." Max whispered into his ear as he nibbled at it, his desire becoming unbearable and tight against his jeans.

"I won't be played with anymore Merlin; I will take your offer right now." He rammed Merlin against the wall with great force yanking at his jacket, the brown material easily coming off and tearing against the handcuffs to lie near their feet.

"Keep an eye out guys; make sure no one interrupts us and for fucks sake put his shit inside before someone sees it." Max ordered loosing what little patience he had.

"Are you sure this is right? I mean he doesn't look like he wants it." The guy who had given Max the cuffs said as he looked nervously at the door and then back to Merlin, green eyes showing a small hint of pity towards him.

"We could get in serious trouble for this." Max's other companion said as he opened the door and stared at Merlin's things in the hallway before taking them into the room with him, his short black hair bobbing with the movement of the bike.

"Merlin here is just playing hard to get, aren't you Merlin?" Max teased as he rubbed his hips against Merlin's even harder, the heat between his legs getting more intense. "Fuck," he cursed as he kissed Merlin one more time and began to undo his belt, the shaking hand pressed against his chest doing nothing to lessen his desire and intentions.

Max undid Merlin's pants and slipped a hand into his tight boxers, his fingers circled around the soft tender flesh there. "Get hard for me Merlin." He whispered into Merlin's trembling ear as he licked the area under his lope.

"I'm going to make you scream my name over and over until your throat is sore from it."

Merlin didn't know what to do; he needed to get free and away from here. "Stop it Max, let me go. You guys have it all wrong." His protests falling on deaf ears as his fingers dug into Max's jacket in an attempt to pry the aroused guy off.

"Please, I don't want this."

A gasp escaped his lips as Max sucked at the navel of his neck and bit into it, bruising his pale skin slightly. Max continued to stroke Merlin's limp shaft, his frustration and impatience making it hard for him to keep still. He let go and started to undo his own pants, his breath now erratic and shallow against Merlin's soft neck.

"Max, come on man we should just go." His friend who had protested first said as he stared at Merlin's bike resting against the other wall, the backpack swung on the handlebar.

"We could go to jail for this, he really doesn't seem like he wants it." Merlin's phone rang as if to support his statement, the melody bringing everyone in the room to a brief halt until it died back down breaking its spell.

"Shut the fuck up and just do your part." Max yelled as he pulled at Merlin's boxers, dragging them down with one hand while the other held him firmly against the wall, his fully hard cock rubbing against Merlin's flaccid groin. His ears rang loud with his hot blood as his hands traveled across the newly exposed skin. Max pressed a knee in between Merlin's legs, prying them apart and moved his hands to grab the soft buttocks bringing Merlin's hips upwards.

His friends did as they were told and left the room, locking the door behind them to stand guard in the hallway. Merlin tried one last time to set himself free and bit down on Max's bottom lips hard. Blood trailed into his mouth and filled his taste buds with the sour metallic taste. Max cursed and slapped him hard in the face, his ring cutting his cheek and Merlin almost lost the ability to breathe when his legs were pried even wider. He tensed as he felt the edge of Max's huge thick shaft nudge against his entrance, tears forming in his eyes and running down his face.

"Don't…" Merlin gasped, his body shaking with renewed determination to set itself free.

Just then one of Max's friends shouted behind the door and a thump followed as someone was thrown against the door, filling Merlin with a renewed hope. Another shout followed before a second thump was heard. Max released his hold on Merlin and partly turned towards the still locked door, confused at what was happening behind it.

"What the hell!" Max exclaimed as the door flew off its hinges and his eyes fell on a figure standing in the doorway, his features hidden in shadow and the brown drench coat he wore the only thing that could be made out clearly.

His two friends lay on the ground behind the man, their eyes rolled to the back of their heads, completely knocked out. The man looked at Max and his eyes turned a golden hue, the half-naked young man was tossed back and away from the trembling form of Merlin. He hit the wall hard and fell to the ground, almost losing consciousness. Before Max could say anything or much less move, a rough hand gripped his throat in a death grip and tightened as the figure hovered above him.

"If you ever lay your filthy hands on Merlin again I will do more than knock you off your feet." His hoarse voice echoed in Max's ears as he struggled to breath, his windpipe almost blocked by the force of the man's grip and causing him to loose full consciousness.

Merlin tugged at his clothes with shaken hands, trying to conceal his naked flesh but finding it hard to do as one of his hands was still handcuffed. After a few tries he pulled up his pants and lowered his shirt over them, falling to his knees after they gave way. He stared in confusion at the three unconscious bodies and then at the man who had saved him. A hint of recognition crossing through his face as the man's features relaxed and he moved closer to Merlin.


	5. Ripping the Fabric between two Worlds

Chapter Four: Ripping the Fabric between two Worlds

"Balinor…?" Merlin said in disbelief and relief as he took in the man standing in front of him and the hand outstretched towards him.

Balinor pulled Merlin to his feet, his jaw tensing as he noticed the handcuffs, bruise marks on the boy's neck, and the tears still wet on his cheeks. He forced himself to release Merlin's hand and placed his rough hand over the handcuffs, his eyes turned gold once more and the cuffs fell to the floor with a single clang. Balinor didn't ask if he had come in time, couldn't bring himself to say anything. He quietly took Merlin's things and moved out of the room down the hallway towards the exit, with every intention of giving the boy a few minutes to compose himself.

Merlin reached for his torn jacket, his fingers failing to grab the material in the first two tries, and followed him out. He stepped clumsily around the unconscious bodies, eyes wandering to the retreating back of the man who had saved him, the man whose eyes had turned a golden color. Both remained silent until they were outside and at the end of the street, a few ways off from the rundown apartment complex.

"He didn't get to…I wasn't," Merlin started to explain, he felt like he needed to tell Balinor, to reassure him that he had saved him.

"I believe this little fellow would be happier with you." Balinor cut in as he paused and turned back to Merlin, Kilgharrah in his hand.

Merlin took the lizard and leaned against the wall closest to him, his legs threatened to give way under him. His chest heaved up and down heavily, his entire body ached, and his wrist stung from the bruising of the cuffs. He looked up and gave the older man a small shaken smile.

"Thanks…"

Balinor felt a pang of guilt and anger rise from the pit of his stomach. He could tell Merlin was struggling with the realization of what had almost been about to happened. He moved back to Merlin, grabbed him by the shoulder, and led him down the sidewalk increasing their pace as police sirens sliced through the calm air, too close for comfort. Merlin didn't struggle. He walked, his feet moving on their own as his mind replayed the events in that dinky room, and soon reached the stairs leading to his porch.

"It might be best if you stay here for tonight and then head over to your friends tomorrow." Balinor stated as he handed Merlin his bag and moved the bike up the stairs to lean it against the door. He gave him a final nod and started to walk off.

"Wait, your eyes, they turned gold and how did you know I..." Merlin asked, unable to specify his question further.

Balinor seemed to have a faraway look about him. "Let's just say your mom was right about this little fellow being lucky in more ways than one." He said, the hint of a smirk disappearing to show a sad serious look again. "Take care of him, will you. He is a very special friend and I wouldn't want to have to say goodbye to him."

"He is yours?" Merlin said in surprise as he moved further down the steps towards Balinor.

"Kilgharrah really doesn't belong to anyone. Look Merlin I will explain everything to you I promise. But right now I have to get going, just stay inside your house for tonight." Balinor said.

"Wait! Please..." He called out to the older man, but found himself alone.

Merlin walked up the steps and pushed his bike inside, before locking the door behind him. He gripped his shoulder strap tighter and rushed up the stairs to his room with Kilgharrah on his shoulder, his feet stomping loudly against the carpet. Once his door was closed as well, Merlin leaned his back on it, his shaken fingers turning the nob locking it.

Letting the now useless jacket fall to the floor along with his bag, he slid down to the carpet and muffled his cries against his hands. Merlin pulled his knees up close to his body and let his mind get filled with the many questions he had. He tried to understand what he had just seen; knowing now that his mother finding Kilgharrah had been more than a coincidence, and how close he had come to being raped. Max's breathe against his neck, the feeling of his tongue against his skin, and Balinor's golden eyes all swirled in his mind. He rested his head on his knees in an attempt to push back the dizziness that followed.

Magic! That one word jumped out at him as his pet lizard rushed to his cage, the word kept repeating in his head over and over like a broken record and he started to shake. Magic was real, he had seen it, felt its sparks tingle against his skin and all the crazy things happening to him since he was a child finally started to make sense, fitting together like a lost forgotten puzzle. He wasn't crazy, he never had been. But what did the dreams and images he kept seeing mean?

His phone rang, bringing him back to his feet. He let it ring in his hands and die back down before sending Will a message. Merlin didn't trust his voice to let his friend know that he would stay home for the night and that they could meet up tomorrow. Setting the phone on his bedside table, he grabbed his medication and flushed it down the toilet before tossing the empty bottle in the trash pin along with his tattered clothes. Merlin took a shower and went to bed to tired and afraid to stay awake, his dreams seemed like a great place to escape.

xxxxx

Merlin opened his eyes as the sound of crickets and birds chirping woke him from his slumber. He starred up at the stars in the sky, trying to debate whether he was awake or dreaming again. Glancing around Merlin found himself at the park, lying on the edge of the lake. He slowly sat up, removing his hand that had been slightly submerged in the water, and moved back in complete surprise.

"How did I get here?" Merlin said out loud running a hand across his hair as he got to his feet, dried his damp hand on his clothes and moved towards the bridge.

He leaned against the railing and looked around frantically as if the trees and grass held the answer; there was no one else in the park and though it was in the middle of the night the moonlight plus a few post lamps provided enough light for him to see clearly. His attention was pulled back to the lake as the reflection in the water glowed and changed to reveal Arthur. The young prince was leaning against a wall of a cave; his face was turned slightly downward, his back to Merlin.

Merlin could see he was wearing his armor again, but something was off. He looked at the reflection closer, Arthur was holding onto his side and a speck of red could be seen between his pale fingers. He was hurt and bleeding. Then a shadow fell upon Arthur's back and Merlin gasped.

He yelled out a warning before he could catch himself and Arthur turned around. The blonde prince brought his sword upwards and pointed it at the direction of the shadow. For some unexplained reason Merlin knew the sword was useless against the creature that was casting it. The shadow moved closer, but it never appeared anywhere in his line of vision.

Time seemed to slow down as Merlin leaned forward. "No, Arthur run away or you will die." He yelled to the glimmering image in the water, his eyes flashed a golden hue and he fell into the water with a loud splash just as the shadow jumped at the prince.

Everything sped up again back to normal as Merlin trashed in the dark water trying to get out. It was like in his dream, Merlin was quite tall and the water in the lake wasn't supposed to be deeper than a few more feet. But yet his feet couldn't touch the bottom as Merlin tried to kick himself upwards. He looked down and his eyes fell on something shining in the black depths.

For some reason Merlin felt a strong desire to get it out of the water along with himself. Swimming towards it, he quickly wrapped his fingers around the large object and found it would not budge. He moved his arms further around it, securing his grasp on the smooth metal and pulled hard as his lungs started to give way. Merlin's eyes turned gold once more and a great light flashed through the water encircling him in its glow.

A great force of water started to swirl around him, pushing him towards the surface. He found himself on the side of the lake, spitting out water and gasping for air in the complete darkness of the Lunar Eclipse. Merlin didn't quite understand how he had gotten out, but he was very relieved to feel damp grass beneath his fingers. His lungs strained to take in more breaths and he crawled further away from the edge of the lake, before stumbling back down on the grass soaking wet.

His mind tried to grasp what had made him fall in, he hadn't been leaning far enough; it had felt more like someone had pushed or pulled him in. Merlin shakily got to his feet; the eclipse was already starting to pass. He looked back at the lake, banging slightly the side of his head at the ringing in his ears. The water was calm, nothing out of the ordinary.

Dripping from head to toe, Merlin made his way to the entrance of the park, more confused than ever as his eyes took in what he was actually wearing. The slightly oversized red shirt held in place by a brown slim belt, brown trousers that seemed to have seen better days and an even thinner jacket the same color as his own clung to his thin frame. The brown worn boots reaching past his ankles added to the last item he wore that were not his own, but they were the same type of clothes he appeared with in his dreams, all he was missing was the blue handkerchief.

Merlin froze when he heard coughing behind him, another pair of lungs gasping for air. He looked back to where he had emerged from the lake and this time fell backwards onto the grass, finger pointed outwards in front of him. Merlin's eyes seemed transfixed on that one spot and tried as he might to blink and make the image disappear he couldn't. There lying on the grass was none other than Arthur, the young prince from his dreams, his armor shining brightly from the moonlight reflecting through the trees.

Arthur's hair clung greedily to his wet forehead and his body shook with the shock from the cold air suddenly stabbing at his damp skin. He continued to press against his wound with his numb fingers as he painfully reached for his sword lying in the grass next to him. Arthur turned to his back, his sight slightly cleared for a moment and he stared at the stars; he groaned and finally managed to pry himself from the dampened grass using his sword as support.

The realization that he was no longer in the cave brought a sense of relief, if only for a short moment before the pain from his wound became excruciating. It shot up from his side to his head, and the young prince stumbled back to the ground with a loud thump. Arthur tried to rise to his feet again. A small rustle in the grass in front of him had him tighten his grip on his sword, well aware of the advancing figure. The soft footsteps picked up their pace when Arthur's legs buckled under his full weight, the sword no longer supporting him. Before he could hit the ground again a firm arm wrapped around his waist and a pale hand grabbed his arm firmly but gently, holding him upright.

"Are you ok? Let me help you." The warm soft voice echoed in his drumming ears and Arthur felt a strange feeling course through his entire body, gripping onto his heart and refusing to let go.

"Don't touch me," Arthur lashed out, unsure of what that feeling was, and pushed the arm away.

"You're hurt, you need help."

The voice sounded so familiar and his mind tried to make the connection. Everything around him started to spin and Arthur found himself accepting the support offered to him; he could feel the warm breath against his cold neck as the person shifted their weight to accommodate his. An immense heat spread from his chest to his lower belly and further down, making his breath increase in pitch and rhythm.

Arthur could only stare at the hands still clinging to him before slowly turning his gaze upwards, instantly taking in another quick breath. His heart skipped a beat when his eyes met a set of unforgettable blues, finally connecting the voice to its owner. He tried to straighten up and managed to only trip himself with his sword. Arthur fell back down dragging Merlin with him.

He heard himself say something that sounded like an apology and his face started to turn a red color as the lack of blood failed to keep his body from reacting to the body underneath him. When he tried to get up, his hands accidently raised Merlin's shirt up and his fingers grazed the soft wet pale skin. Arthur fought back the moan threatening to rise from the back of his throat.

"Merlin?! Your Merlin," Arthur half stated, half asked as he forced himself to tear his gaze from those beautiful eyes to only regret it as they landed on the soft lips just inches from his face.

He struggled to his feet with some help and licked his suddenly too dry lips. Merlin looked even more beautiful since the last time he had seen him, he had thought him dead the memory of what had happened still fresh in his mind. Arthur found it hard to keep his feet moving and had to lean fully into Merlin for support, pressing his hand harder against his wound as blood started to drip to the ground beneath him.

"I need to be taken to Gaius, Camelot's court physician." Arthur managed to say.

"Camelot…?" Merlin repeated with a puzzled expression on his face, finding it harder to hold up Arthur while trying to move them down the path towards the metal gates. "I don't know where that is, but there is a hospital not far from here."

Before Arthur could say anything else his vision turned black. Strange noises around him started to overwhelm his thoughts. He could make out the squeaking sound of the metal gate being pushed open and then he lost full consciousness.

Merlin was thankful that the gates weren't locked and half dragged half carried the prince through them. He lay Arthur on a bench and looked around. It was quite late and no cars were in sight, worry started to creep up on him as he realized no taxi was going to pull up next to them. How exactly was he going to get Arthur to the hospital? Merlin quickly checked for pockets and found no cellphone, no change, only a piece of paper which was quite dry compared to the clothes he wore.

_Could it get any weirder?_ He thought to himself as he shook his head and jammed the paper back into the small pocket inside his jacket. Merlin tried to keep his mind off the blood smeared on his own hands and soaking into his jacket. He could smell the blood very clearly now and it looked like Arthur's wound was starting to bleed heavily.

Merlin turned back to Arthur noticed that his eyes were partly opened and his breathing had slowed. He raised one of the prince's eyelids and quickly stepped back, Arthur's eyes were completely black.

"Arthur, I don't know what is happening to you but I will get you some help. Just stay with me." Merlin whispered into his ear.

Standing Arthur up once more and eyeing the sword Arthur still clung on to tightly, he moved down the sidewalk hoping to catch a car, anyone passing by. _The hospital please, I need to get him to a hospital,_ Merlin thought over and over in his head as his heart started to feel heavy with the idea that Arthur might now make it if he didn't get help soon.

An energy surge ran through him up to his eyes and Merlin found himself standing in a completely different street with Arthur still leaning against him. Merlin moved a step to the side as he tried to get a better grip on Arthur and bummed right into an orderly, his white matching pants, shirt, and shoes the greatest sight Merlin had ever seen.

"Please help me, he is badly hurt." Merlin said noticing the entrance to the hospital just behind the orderly.

Arthur was saved, for some reason the thought of never seeing the blond prince again made his heart ache and his chest hurt to the point that he was finding it hard to breathe. He tried to rub the tears forming in his eyes with the palm of his hand not sustaining Arthur, but the young prince had his hand tightly over his own and refused to loosen his grip on it. It took only a moment for the orderly to get past their appearance to understand the situation and he waved his comrades over.

Two more orderlies came rushing past the automatic doors towards them. Merlin loosened his grip on Arthur and managed to pry the sword from his motionless fingers. Arthur was quickly whisked off into the emergency room before another word had the chance to be exchanged. A female cop on duty came up to Merlin, her eyes on Arthur as he disappeared behind some double doors. She turned her hazel eyes accusingly at Merlin, notepad flipped open and pen in hand.

"I will need your full name and contact information." The cop stated, her lips turning thin as her eyes fell on the sword and Merlin's attire.

Merlin quickly gave her his information. "Look I don't know how he got his wound; I found him a few minutes ago at the park and brought him straight here." He added, leaving out the part about magically being transported to the ER.

"Take a seat; it would be best if you waited in case any more questions arise." The cop looked up at him from her notepad, eyes still as accusing as before. "In the meantime I recommend you call your mother or someone who can come pick you up." She walked off and made her way towards the direction the orderlies had taken Arthur.

Merlin washed the blood off from his hands in the public bathroom and then removed the bloodied jacket to wrap it around the sword. He returned to the waiting lobby and set the bundled sword on a small table next to him. The waiting was exhausting and straining. Merlin kept banging his knee against the sword every time he rose to his feet when the double doors opened. It clanged loudly against the hospital floor defeating the purpose of concealing it. Another hour passed before someone called out to him.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?" Mandy, one of the female nurses, asked, stopping in front of him.

"I brought in a guy I found hurt and thought I wait and see how he is doing." Merlin replied, recognizing the nurse as a friend of his mother's.

"I'm going to have to call your mother." The nurse stated noticing the blood stains on his hands and jacket.

"Please don't, she is in a very important business trip and she really needs this contract. I'm not hurt and I already gave my statement to the cops. Everything is fine really; I'll just call Will and have him pick me up." Merlin quickly pleaded, giving her the best fake smile he could muster.

"Fine, but make sure you call him." Mandy said and left, leaving Merlin to debate whether to actually call Will or not.

xxxxx

Back in the emergency room the hospital staff moved around frantically doing everything they could to save their patient, from inserting needles into Arthur's arm and connecting the machines to read his vitals. They struggled to remove Arthur's armor and had to call in one of the male orderlies for help. It was surprising to them how heavy it really was. With the armor finally off, one of the female orderlies cut into the prince's shirt, tugging at the torn material to expose the wound. When the same orderly tried to inject Arthur with a pain sedative, he regained consciousness and began to trash around, sending the needle crashing to the floor.

"Get off me, Where am I?" Arthur yelled as he tried to rise from the operating table, stumbling to his feet, one hand pressed against his wound. "Where is Merlin, what have you done with him?"

"We are trying to help you." The male doctor told him, resting a hand gently on Arthur's shoulder to push him back to the operating table. "You have lost a lot of blood son. We need to operate."

The doctor signaled for one of the nurses to inject the sedative, but before it could be administered Arthur pushed the doctor off him and staggered to the door. The room started to spin and he fell to the floor, losing consciousness before his head even hit the cold tile. He was quickly placed back on the operating table. Black blood started to ooze from his wound, thick droplets splattered to the floor. His body shook violently as the blood spread upwards.

"What is happening to him?" One of the nurses asked as she reached for another needle and injected the medication into his arm to stop the convulsions.

"I'm not sure," the doctor replied. "But we better hurry. He's slipping."

xxxxx

Merlin woke up, a worried sensation coming over him. The sword clanged loudly against the hospital floor again. He rubbed his tired eyes and picked up the sword, evading the odd looks from other people still in the waiting room. Slipping it back under the jacket, he rose to his feet and made his way to the public phones. The black stands a clear opposite to the peach colored walls and light brown chairs.

He looked at the clock above them, it had been two hours already and no one had come to let him know about Arthur's condition. His fingers were dialing Will's number before he knew it and he quickly hung up. He moved back to the jacket and pulled out the dry paper he had found earlier. Opening it up, he stared at the name and number written on it, the letters clearly written in black ink. Merlin dialed it, thanking the invention of collect calls, and waited for the flat tone of the phone to turn into a ring. On the third ring he got a reply.

"Hello?" A male voice on the other end answered and Merlin almost dropped the phone. "Merlin, is that you?"

"Merlin?" Balinor asked again at the silence that followed.

"I need your help I don't know who else to call," Merlin spoke into the phone, tears spilling onto his cheeks as the shock finally hit him. "Something weird happened." He explained, moving his hand through his hair, ruffling it, and cleared his throat.

"I found your number on my jacket and…" he moved the phone away, hesitating before bringing it back to his ear. "Please can you come get me? I am at Saints Margaret hospital."

"I will be right over." Balinor declared as a single click followed and soon all Merlin could hear was a dead tone.

Merlin set the phone back on its stand and moved towards his seat. The sliding doors opened to allow Balinor through. A look of surprise crossed Merlin's face, recalling that just moments ago the older man had been on the other end of the line. Then he remembered that he had also just appeared like nothing in front of the hospital with Arthur. Merlin walked over to meet Balinor half way, tightening his shaken grip on the sword.

Balinor's attention fell on the sword, the elegant and intricate details on the hilt and smooth design made him glance around the room. "Where is he?" He asked meeting Merlin's eyes when the person he was looking for failed to be found in the waiting room. "Where's Prince Arthur?"

"He is in the emergency room." Merlin said. His voice strained, worry seeping into his face. "He was hurt pretty bad and lost quite a lot of blood."

Balinor hurried towards the double doors Arthur had been taken through; pushing them open with ease he made his way down the empty corridor. Merlin quickly followed before the doors closed, the receptionist yelling behind them.

"You can't go in without being called." The black haired middle aged woman called out to them.

She ran to the doors but was forced to rush back to her desk; the doors had already automatically locked. She pushed the button to unlock them. Once she was through, the empty corridor was all that greeted her. The receptionist shook her head and returned to the front desk to call security.

xxxxx

Balinor entered the room in which Prince Arthur was being kept in and moved towards the bed. He stared at the closed eyes of the sleeping prince and then back at Merlin, his expression a mixture of anger, worry, and confusion. Merlin moved into the room and quietly closed the door behind him, trying to not attract any staff that might be passing by.

"How did this happen? Why did you bring him here?" Balinor asked a hint of frustration on his face. "He isn't safe here."


	6. Tension Rising

Chapter Five: Tension Rising

"I don't know, I woke up at the park and then somehow fell into the lake. When I came out, he was there." Merlin explained pointing at the sleeping form of Arthur. "I didn't ask for any of this, I didn't ask for him to appear in my dreams or for the images. I was doing fine up till now."

"Dreams? You've seen him before today?" Balinor asked completely taken back by the discovery.

He had not expected for Merlin's magic to resurface so fast. Of course they needed him to be able to use his magic if they had any chance to return home, but now the prince was stranded in this world with them. Things were definitely more complicated, he would have to move things along faster.

"How long have you been having them?"

"They just started to occur again yesterday, the same time as the hallucinations." Merlin stated, still uncomfortable discussing his personal matters. "It's been almost ten years since my dreams were this real and since I had any hallucinations."

Balinor thought for a moment, something his friend Gaius had told him years ago about a powerful sorcerer who could travel between worlds. "Those aren't dreams Merlin and you aren't hallucinating, they are real events of another world." He was surprised and proud of how strong Merlin's magic was, even at the untrained stage. "You see Merlin I'm not from…."

Merlin looked over at Arthur, noticing the stain that was starting to appear on the sheets. "Arthur…." He called out as he moved towards the bed, "What's wrong with him?"

"What?" Balinor was caught off guard by Merlin's question and he too looked over at the prince.

Arthur's wound had bled threw the bandages and hospital garments. The blood was dark, almost black, and spreading at a fast rate through the sheets in the direction of Merlin. His eyes, still closed were moving rapidly, his face was pale, and his lips were parted slightly as his body struggled to breath.

"Step back, don't touch him." Balinor yelled, pushing Merlin behind him and reaching for his satchel.

"What did you bring back with you?" Balinor asked, pulling various items from his bag, a faded old bag Merlin hadn't even noticed he had with him.

He rapidly mixed the contents in a small clay bowl and lifted Arthur's hospital gown, making sure not to touch the part of the sheets that were stained with the black blood. Balinor moved the sheets back just enough to ensure the rest of his body was still covered and spread the green mixture around the prince's wound. He set the bowl down on the bed and took out the dagger hidden in one of his boots.

Merlin saw the dagger and gasped. "What do you plan to do with that?"

"I need to reopen the wound, if I am to get it out it must be done through the area it got in." Balinor replied, cutting through the bandages, the stitches, and the already cut flesh with his dagger.

"What got in? What are you talking about?" Merlin said. "You're going to kill him."

"If I don't get it out, he will die."

Arthur started to convulse, his eyes flew open black as night and he spoke. "You will never save him. He is mine and so will Emrys. I will consume the golden prince from the inside out and then you will watch me eat your son in front of you."

"_Ahluttre ba _sceadu _seocnes. Purhhaele_." Balinor chanted, holding Arthur down and placing his hand over his heart.

Arthur kicked and shook violently. He started to choke, black liquid coming out of his mouth. His fingers clasped the sheets tightly as his back arched upwards. Balinor pushed the prince harder against the bed, his eyes still flashing gold.

"You can fight it Arthur, don't let it win." He whispered at Arthur. "You have to fight it."

Merlin stared unsure of what to say or if he should say anything at all, the unfamiliar words the older man still rang in his ears. They brought a sense of calm and familiarity over him. Arthur's wound started to bleed more, the bed was practically covered in the black liquid and it oozed to the floor. Merlin rushed over to the cabinets and grabbed handful of towels. He started to press them against Arthur's wound; the liquid seeped through them and stung his fingers.

"Don't," Balinor shouted, his eyes their regular color, and knocked the blackened towels out of Merlin's hands. "I told you to stay away from it. It will try to enter you if you touch it."

Arthur's body was still, the sheets and gown completely black. Balinor swept Arthur's gown off and carried the naked prince, setting him on the small couch in the room. He turned to face the blackness and his eyes turned gold. Everything the black liquid had touched caught on fire and the room was filled with a screeching scream. Merlin and Balinor covered their ears as the sound grew in pitch.

The fire grew in size and the sprinklers kicked in, water poured down on them soaking into their clothes and sticking to their skin. The door suddenly opened and a doctor followed by a female nurse stepped into the room, two security officers looming behind them ready to drag the unknown visitors out.

"What is going on here? You shouldn't be here." The doctor ordered as he entered the code into a small pad located near the door and the sprinklers stopped. He stepped aside to allow the security entry and pointed at Merlin and Balinor. The two tall broad men stepped in, taking almost half of the space in the room.

"That won't be necessary; I am his guardians and have come to take him home." Balinor flatly stated his voice cold and certain. "You had to give him enough sedatives to knock a person twice his size. He tried to wander the halls again after surgery was finished and you took him back to his room. That is all."

Merlin could feel a light thickness in the air, his skin tingled with it and he realized Balinor was using magic. He looked back at the security officers who remained completely still. The doctor and the nurse were also frozen in their spot, their eyes unmoving. The connection was broken, the tingle disappeared and the hospital staff started to come back to their senses.

"You guys can go its ok." The doctor suddenly told the security officers as he moved away from the door. Turning his attention back to Balinor, "I will need you to sign a few papers and once he wakes you can be on your way." The doctor said flatly, handing Balinor the clipboard.

"That has already been done and he is awake now." Balinor replied, ignoring the white piece of paper being handed to him. The doctor nodded and moved out of the room along with the nurse. "Close the door Merlin."

Merlin did as he was told and rested his back against the frame, his grip on his composure gone. Balinor looking Arthur over, the prince was still unconscious but was breathing normally now. He heard Merlin sighed and turned back to see him run a shaken hand threw his hair. A frown spread across his face, it was time he explained everything to the young boy, having Arthur here and possessed by a shadow had not been something he had expected to happen.

xxxxx

Arthur was in his chambers, in the middle of scolding a servant. The nervous girl shifted on her feet and bowed with yet another apology. "I am truly sorry my Prince, I was startled by a rat and bumped into the table." She pleaded as she slowly raised her eyes and fumbled with the broken plate in her hands. Arthur waved his hand to dismiss her, his patience slowly slipping.

"You're services won't be needed for the rest of the day, your dismissed." He ordered as he made his way to his desk, the endless stacks of papers making his mood even gloomier.

The young girl quickly left in tears, the door closing quietly behind her and her retreating footsteps echoing down the corridor. Arthur rummaged through the mess on his desk for the current contract his father had assigned him to write. A knock on the door brought another frown to his face.

"Enter," Arthur called out, the door opened and Sir Gwaine entered.

The knight was one of the few the prince really enjoyed sparing with. He was an excellent fighter, probably the best he had met, and a great hunter when Arthur managed to pry him from the tavern to join him on a hunt, but following simple orders like not disturbing him during specific hours in the day were not among his best traits.

"Sire, we have found the creature that has been attacking nearby villages. It has been trailed back to a cave not far from here." Gwaine said as he moved a few feet further into the chambers and away from the door. "A few knights are already ready and prepared to depart at your word, my lord." The roughed knight concluded as Arthur rose from his desk and moved towards the door.

"Have a servant come to my chambers immediately." Arthur commanded of one of the guards outside his chambers and then turned towards Gwaine. "We will depart right away, have them prepare the horses." He addressed the knight one final time before stepping behind his dressing screen. Gwaine nodded and left to do as he was told.

Arthur made his way to the courtyard in full armor and mounted his horse. The knights present included Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan, and five others, his best among all his knights. He grabbed the reins and without a word led them towards the southern part of the woods, his horse galloping at full force. Just as they were nearing the cave, Arthur signaled for them to dismount.

Securing their horses, they moved closer taking care not to give their position away. Arthur was unsheathing his sword one moment and the next he found himself staring at dark blue curtains hanging from the ceiling. He rose to his feet, pushed the curtains apart taking note their wetness, and stared at the sleeping form of Merlin. His intention of heading for the door completely forgotten as his eyes rested on the rise and fall of Merlin's chest. Again Arthur was filled with a weird sensation and his cheeks turned a tinted color.

A sound outside the room had him tearing his gaze from Merlin to look once more towards the door, it opened and Balinor stepped inside. The older man closed the door quietly and turned to move further into the room, his feet halting as he noticed Prince Arthur awake and standing in the middle of it.

Balinor looked from Arthur to Merlin still sleeping on the couch and then back at the young prince. "It is good to see you awake and..."

"Balinor," Arthur cut him off, his hands turning into fists at the sight of the older man. His jaw clenched and he fought with the desire to rush at the sorcerer, but he managed to push it aside as the sound of movement behind him reached his ears.

Merlin opened his eyes as his head slipped from the headboard of the couch and wondered how much time had passed. He lazily looked around and noticed Arthur and Balinor standing in the room staring at each other.

"Arthur…" Merlin called out, taken aback. Arthur had his back to him so he couldn't see his expression, but he did catch the tense look in the older man's face and his next words vanished from his lips.

The young prince quickly realized he was wearing a quite revealing garment that failed to close completely from behind. Arthur clumsily reached for the backings and tried to cover himself further losing his footing. He stumbled back against the couch and on Merlin; he blushed heavily as Merlin's legs scrapped against his bare bottom. Arthur tried to get up, making his situation worse as the warmth of Merlin's chest pressing tightly against his back started to make his body react in an unsuspecting way.

"It will be a few more hours before I can use my magic again, until then we will have to catch a cab." Balinor said tossing the bag with Arthur's things on the bed and avoiding the prince's frustrated stare.

"You will find the things you had on in there. Merlin, help the prince dress."

"Wait, what?" Merlin asked, finding it easier to talk with the prince no longer sitting on top of him.

"That won't be necessary. I can do it myself." Arthur replied. "I am capable of dressing myself."

"I will be outside getting us some transportation." And with that Merlin was left alone with Arthur, his own cheeks turning red at the thought of helping the prince change into his clothes.

He moved to stand next to Arthur and took a piece of garment from the bag. Arthur brought the bag closer to him and snatched his trousers from Merlin's hands. He leaned against the bed for support, his body still too weak.

"It's ok I can help you dress." Merlin tried to reassure the prince as he pushed him back the rest of the way on the bed and nervously rummaged through the pile of clothes. "I don't mind."

Arthur blushed at the feel of Merlin's hands on his exposed skin and tried once more to stand up.

"I can dress myself." Arthur argued as he took his trousers from Merlin again and moved to dress, falling to the floor with a loud thump. He cursed softly as his bare bottom touched the cold tiled floor.

"Don't be a stubborn idiot. I am sure you can dress yourself just fine Arthur, but since you aren't completely back to full strength at the moment I will help you." Merlin teased as he helped Arthur up and made him slide his legs into the trousers. "Besides don't worry, I won't be doing it again." He mocked a sheepish smile on his face as he slipped the fresh hospital gown Balinor had put on Arthur off.

Merlin paused for a short moment, he could feel his face start to heat up at the sight of Arthur's bare chest, the smoothness and firmness of his upper body was more beautiful than he remembered. His fingers itched to touch it, to find out if it was as smooth as it looked. He cleared his throat and continued to dress Arthur.

"You can't address me like that you know." Arthur replied, his face as equally red and hot as Merlin's.

"Huh?" Merlin said, forgetting what the prince was referring to.

"I'm a royal prince. You can't just call me an idiot and do as you please."

Merlin just smiled sheepishly as he tugged the tattered red shirt over Arthur's head a little harder than necessary before kneeling down to slip the boots on the prince's feet. _A royal prat was more like it._

Arthur's face turned even redder as Merlin's soft fingers grazed his ankles and moved up his legs. The dryness at the back of his throat turned unbearable, the pounding in his heart increased and he nervously looked down at Merlin's raven hair. He had to grip the sheets tightly to fight back the desire to run his fingers through the short black locks and tug at his hair to bring Merlin towards him, towards his lips that craved to taste the inside of the insufferable and possibly worst servant ever.

Merlin reached for the final garment Arthur had been wearing, a red and much thicker coat he used under his chainmail.

The prince grabbed the coat and tossed it back into the bag. "You can leave that off."

"Well I think your all set." Merlin stated kind of proud of himself; he had managed to dress the prince without making a fool of himself. He stepped back and rested his hands on his hips. "Yup, that is all of it."

Arthur moved off the bed and tested his legs. "You are such an idiot." He grabbed his red undercoat and tossed it at Merlin, fighting back a smile when Merlin gave him a shocked and hurt look. "Come on servant, show me the way out of this place."

"Hey I am not your servant." Merlin cried out at Arthur's retreating figure and ran out the room after him.

xxxxx

Balinor managed to finally wave down a taxi, his patience running thin after the last three had taken one look at his shady appearance and failed to stop. The sword tucked under his coat, bulking it up probably didn't help any either. The emergency doors opened to allow Merlin and Arthur through. He opened the door to the yellow taxi and waved to them, catching their attention.

Merlin spotted him and quickly made his way towards the cab. Grabbing the bag that contained Arthur's armor, chainmail, and now red undercoat he climbed into the backseat. Arthur entered the cab shortly after him. It was all so strange to see Arthur sitting in a taxi with him, but yet it felt like he was always meant to meet the handsome prat. The door shut as Balinor climbed in, making the space between Merlin and Arthur almost nonexistent.

Fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence later they reached Merlin's house. Arthur had kept his eyes on the streets the entire ride, a masked expression on his face, even when the taxi driver had taken a wrong turn and slammed down on the breaks Arthur had remained unfazed. Merlin was sure that the young prince had blushed as he had dressed him, but now even with their knees touching Arthur's face showed no traces of a similar reaction.

"It's $25." The taxi driver plainly stated, unlocking the doors.

"Can you wait a moment while I go get the money?" Merlin asked.

"I will have to keep the meter running."

Balinor and Arthur stepped out of the back seat and made their way to the curb. Merlin got out and ran up his doorsteps. Taking the spare keys from their hidden spot, he opened the door and ran up to his room and returned with the taxi fare. Thanking the taxi driver and locking the door behind him he turned around to face a slightly upset Arthur and a disturbed Balinor standing at the bottom of his stairway. He really wasn't cut out for this type of straining activities.

"I suppose Arthur can stay in my room in the meantime." Merlin said.

With one final sigh he led Arthur up the stairs to his room. Merlin dropped Arthur's belonging on the bed and moved back to the doorway. "That is the bathroom feel free to use the entire bed. If you need anything I will be downstairs." Kilgharrah came rushing to him and climbed up his leg, finding a comfortable spot on his shoulder.

"You have no idea of the day I've had. I just had to dress a very pratty prince and now I have to share my room with him." Merlin whispered as he made his way down the stairs.

"He isn't that bad once you get past the exterior." Balinor stated sitting down on the couch, his anger subsiding a little at the sight of his old friend.

Kilgharrah practically flew off Merlin's shoulder and landed on Balinor's lap, he curled up against the rough coat. "He likes the smell of pine." Balinor said, resting his arms on the headboard of the couch. This caused Merlin to raise an eyebrow. "So you ready to learn how un-crazy you are?"

"Magic is real, you have magic. The dreams you have been having since a child, the hallucinations, everything was caused by your magic trying to get out." Balinor explained. "You have seen me use magic countless times already and you could learn to use it as well. Your special Merlin, more than you can imagine and Arthur, he is tied to you in some way."

Merlin didn't nod, didn't say anything, he just held his breath and waited for Balinor to continue.

xxxxx

Merlin woke up to Arthur's voice slashing through the quietness of the house. His eyes flew open when he remembered where he was and that he and Balinor had brought the prince to his home. He jumped to his feet, almost tripping over his feet, and rushed up the stairs to find Balinor pinned against the wall.

"You betrayed everyone in Camelot; my father went on an anti-magic campaign in your name. Do you have any idea how many people died because of your deceit?" Arthur yelled, pressing his sword harder against Balinor's neck causing a thin trail of blood to run down his neck.

"I never betrayed Camelot and those who died were killed because of your father's folly. His desire to see fault in everything magical is the only reason he acted like he did." Balinor replied, his eyes falling on Merlin and staying there. "I would have returned if it was in my power to do so." He continued, his last words sounding as if they were directed to someone else besides the prince.

Arthur sneered at Balinor's comments and was about to say something when he caught the shift in the man's attention. He looked behind him, his grip slipping slightly as he too noticed Merlin.

"You, you are no friend of Camelot, harboring a sorcerer is punishable by death." Arthur sneered at Merlin, shifting his anger shifting to him.

The prince's blue eyes quickly turned cold and he moved towards Merlin. He let his sword fall to his side, a hand shooting up to grasp Merlin's neck; it felt so fragile under his fingers. He pushed Merlin backwards making him trip and fall on the carpet. Arthur had him pinned him down, straddling him and tightening his grip, before Merlin could blink, his soldier reflexes kicking in.

Balinor rushed to pry Arthur off Merlin, holding back his magic as it tingled on the tip of his fingers and at the edges of his eyes. He closed his eyes, feeling his control on it slip even further, and forced Arthur against the opposite wall. It was the prince's turn to be pinned against a hard surface.

"I would watch my tongue boy before I condemned the only person who can return us home." Balinor stated the edge of his eyes still golden, his anger resurfacing.

He gave Arthur one last shove before stepping back and moving towards the door. Balinor glanced at Merlin again a silent apology on his lips and returned downstairs, the door banged loudly telling Merlin he was all alone with Arthur.

Merlin didn't know what to say; he rubbed at his neck trying to make the lasting feeling of cold fingers grasping it tight disappear. He moved slowly towards the bed, grabbed Arthur's stuff that was lying all over the sheets and carefully tucked them back into the bag before placing it on the floor inside his closet. He turned to face the young prince, his hand nervously scratching the back of his neck.

With most of his anger subsided, Arthur found himself stumbling with what to say as he closed the gap between him and Merlin, Balinor's last words playing over and over in his head. The prince's eyes darkened even more and then in an instant softened, his suspicion turning into something closer to gratitude mixed with regret.

"Merlin…," Arthur started to say, the familiar warm feeling he had felt many times already rose from the pit of his stomach making him even more nervous. His face turned beat red as his hand touched Merlin's. "You have to understand where I come from magic is not seen in a good light. Balinor was our sorcerer until betrayed us."

"Arthur, I don't think Balinor betrayed you." Merlin replied, unable to tell Arthur that he too had magic.

"And you believe him?"

"He was trapped here for 18 years with no way to return. He has a wife and a child, why would he not return to them?" Merlin moved past Arthur, "Balinor told me everything and I trust him." Balinor had not only told him about Camelot, but of how Merlin had been born with magic. He was the only one with magic in his world. Merlin always felt different, felt like he had a greater purpose and now he had one, to return Balinor and the prince back to their world.

"Wait, you don't have to leave. We can share the room."

"What? No it's ok, we have another room." Merlin replied and made his way to his mother's room, leaving Arthur to fend for himself in his.

"This room is much bigger, why don't you let me use this one." Arthur said following Merlin inside and sitting on the much bigger bed.

"Because if anything is moved in her room, my mom will notice and know someone was in it. She will be back in two weeks and I don't want her to know you were even here.

"Then share your room with me."

"Gosh you're such a clod pole. Fine if it will make his highness happy." Merlin said sarcastically.

"It's just prince, I'm not King yet. But if you want I can be your King if you want?" Arthur teased, raising his eyebrows at Merlin. The tension between them was gone and Arthur found it quite fun to play around with Merlin. He could think of many other things he would find fun to do with Merlin.

"You're very beautiful…much more so than any princesses I have met." Arthur found himself admitting. He lay on the bed and acted like he had fallen asleep before Merlin could even process what he had just said.

Merlin stood at the edge of the bed with his mouth still gapped open, had Arthur just called him beautiful? He fought back a laugh at the crazy notions that a prince from another world had just hit on him. Merlin moved to grab the extra pillow and blanket in his closet that he used whenever Will slept over. He let out a shocked breath as the prince's hand on his arm jerked him back towards the bed.

"Sleep next to me, there is plenty of room." The soft words accompanied by the bluest gentle stare had Merlin lying next to Arthur.

Merlin had a feeling that falling asleep while sharing his bed with Arthur would prove to be an almost impossible task. He rested his head on half of the pillow and wished he had managed to bring the extra one to the bed. He had dropped it along with the blanket when Arthur's hand had touched his arm and now he was unable to bring himself to get up.

His eyes kept wandering to the back of Arthur's head and his hands itched to run their fingers through the blond hair. Merlin closed his eyes as Arthur shifted in the bed, their legs rubbing against each other for what seemed the tenth time. He cursed under his breath. Neither of them noticed the weird shadow stretch across the window and the golden glow in the lizard's eyes as the glass vibrated silently. Nor did they question the sudden wave of sleep that quickly tossed them into peaceful slumber.


	7. A Dangerous Stir of Emotions

Chapter Six: A Dangerous Stir of Emotions

Daylight seeped through the window too quickly and filled the room with false illusions of a quiet day. Merlin rolled over on his bed, his body tensed as his shoulder touched something hard and warm. The events of the day before rushed into his head and he opened his eyes to be met with blond bangs. The softness of Arthur's hair against his face almost made him forget the fact that the prince was in his bed with him.

"Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed as he turned his gaze downwards to the hand that rested gently on his waist, slightly under his shirt and seemed to move upwards.

Arthur still had his eyes closed, his breathing slow and normal. He was still asleep, dreaming of a beautiful field of wild flowers. In the middle of the field stood the last great dragon, just as powerful looking as the prince last remembered, and standing near one of his legs was a male figure. His black hair stuck out in all directions and as he turned to face Arthur his blue eyes shined a different color. Golden hues flashed where once blue ones had been the color of those with magic.

The realization that it was Merlin, took Arthur's breath away and he found himself debating which color best suited him better. He walked towards him, the possibility that Merlin had magic failing to reach his understanding. He stopped in front of Merlin, finding it hard to hold back the desire to hug him, to wrap his arms around that slim but firm form and press Merlin's smaller chest against his own heaving one.

"I'm Merlin, nice to meet you." Merlin replied as he moved back to stretch his hand towards Arthur, acting like it was his first time ever meeting the young prince. Arthur reached out and grasped his hand, it felt warm and very real. Merlin tugged at his hand and seemed to get scared as Arthur tightened his grip. "Let me go, I said let me go." Merlin cried out as he pulled with greater force stumbling against the golden scales of the dragon behind him.

Arthur's eyes flew open just as his chest pressed against something soft pinned beneath him and his gaze met Merlin's, the dragon's laughter echoing at the back of his mind. He continued to stare at Merlin, a moan escaping his lips as he realized their legs were tangled together and his hand was still gripping tightly to Merlin's. In that single moment his dream was forgotten. Both their cheeks turned a beat red as Arthur felt the heat rise from between his thighs and Merlin's squirming under him only managed to make him harder.

Merlin felt the heat from Arthur's throbbing shaft; it spread to his own thighs making his own body react the same way. He tugged his hand free and pushed himself back away from the prince, managing to only cause both of them to slip over the edge of the bed. Merlin's back slammed hard against the carpeted floor and his chest heaved against Arthur's heavy form still on top of him.

"Are you ok?" Arthur softly said, taking in the fact that they were now sprawled on the floor near the bed, the sheets a tangled mess around their legs.

Merlin nodded and made to move from under Arthur, but froze when his movements made the young prince blush even more. His eyes widened at the moan that escaped Arthur's parted lips, his fully hard shaft pressed even harder against Merlin's hips threatening to make him moan as well. He continued to stare into the prince's eyes, his ears echoed with Arthur's shallow breath and the sound of his heartbeat.

"Ah," Merlin gasped as Arthur slowly rubbed his lower body against his.

Arthur's eyes darkened at the sound. Bringing his hand up to Merlin's face, he pressed his lips against the pink soft lips kissing him with great vigor. His tongue greedily parted Merlin's teeth, pushing past the entrance to taste the warmth inside. The young prince found himself moaning louder as he brought his other hand under Merlin's shirt to caress the soft pale skin underneath; his fingers ran across Merlin's side and up to his chest circling one nipple, and then the next.

He rubbed his hips against Merlin's with greater thrusts, the tightness in his trousers became unbearable and the head of his shaft peaked out of his trousers, pre cum already wetting the tip. Arthur guided Merlin's hand to his cock and moved his hips upwards causing his trousers to move slightly further down revealing more of his sensitive skin.

Sparks were shining behind Merlin's tightly closed eyes, which had automatically shut when Arthur had started to kiss him. He tightened his free fingers against Arthur's shirt as he tried to push the prince off him, while his other more daring fingers explored the area his body desperately craved. The heat against his hips was making his own body hot and he felt sick in his stomach, the nervousness of the situation reached a greater high for him.

He had never done this before and yet his body refused to listen to his brain. Arthur pulled away from their kiss to allow them to breath. The separation was painful for Merlin and he groaned his protest. He was losing his grip and fast. If Arthur didn't stop, he was unsure of how far he could resist. Arthur kissed him again, this time slower; his hands caressed Merlin through his clothes and made him moan out in ecstasy.

Merlin was fully hard and it scared him, he could still remember how he had felt when Max had been doing the same things as Arthur was. It had been different then, it had felt very wrong. But with Arthur it felt right and that frightened him even more. His body began to stiffen at the memories of almost being rapped and that was his breaking point.

"Arthur…" Merlin managed to say once Arthur pulled away for air and he was able to speak, his voice just above a whisper. He brought himself to open his eyes and stare at the aroused expression on the prince's face.

Arthur looked back at Merlin expecting a totally different expression than the one he found. "I am sorry…" He said, quickly regaining some of his composure. "I didn't mean to…I" He struggled to find the proper words for what he had just been about to do.

Merlin was frightened. Though Arthur was sure he had felt the same desire as himself, it did not make it right for him to do what he had done. Arthur moved off of Merlin and made his way towards the bathroom. Shamefully shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it. His heart still pounded loudly in his chest and his ears drummed with his hot blood as he banged his head on the wooden door. Dammit, he had never once lost control like that; in fact being with the opposite sex had only crossed his mind as a duty he had to uphold when the Kingdom required it of him.

Merlin nervously rose to his feet and moved towards the bathroom door. Covering his bulge with his shirt out of pure embarrassment, he knocked on the door. No answer came and he slowly turned the knob and opened it, the thought that Arthur might be feeling guilty about what they had done tugged at his mind. The prince, who had still been leaning against it, was taken off guard and he fell back towards Merlin. They both fell to the floor, finding the carpeted floor a bit too hard this time around.

"Ahh," Merlin winced, his back hurt. He twisted and managed to get out from under Arthur before the prince grasped that they were once more right back where they had started.

"Do you need any help figuring out how to use the sink or the shower?" Merlin awkwardly asked.

He rose to his feet, embarrassment glued to his face. Merlin extended a hand to help Arthur up and felt his heart skip a beat once Arthur's hand circled around his. Letting their grip linger a bit longer than necessary, he cleared his throat with the need to desperately change the subject.

"Let me show you how it works."

Arthur followed Merlin back into the bathroom, the enclosure drastically too small for the both of them. He watched as Merlin turned the knob of the cold water, ran his hand under the running water, and chanced a look at him.

"See the one marked with a 'C' is for cold, 'H' is for hot, and you turn it the other way to shut it off." Merlin explained turning the knob, shutting the water off.

"So you don't use pitchers or bowls to hold the water or a pump to direct the water to it?" Arthur asked after a while, his curiosity getting the better of him and helping calm his arousal. Merlin grinned and opened the cupboard revealing the draining pipes. "It is strange, but at least it's not complicated."

Merlin laughed at Arthur's statement and made his way to his closet to find some clothes for Arthur, leaving the prince to continue to stare at the pipes. Digging in the very back he found a red shirt and laid it on the bed for Arthur, making the assumption that it should fit Arthur just fine.

It was two sizes too big for him and Will had given it to him for his birthday last year, joking that Merlin was too skinny when it was discovered the store clerk had wrapped up the wrong size. He had refused to let Will take it back and exchange it for the correct size saying that it was just fine; he hadn't wanted to embarrass his friend further. Now it seemed like it had been meant for Arthur all along.

"Are you alright?" He called out after a curse followed by shifting shower curtains attracted his attention. "Do you need help?" Merlin found himself knocking on the bathroom door for the second time, this time a sheepish smile on his lips as he recalled Arthur's surprised face at discovering the technological advances this world had.

"I am fine."

Arthur's response was backed up by more silence and then running water followed by more shifting of the shower curtain. Merlin smiled sheepishly at the closed door. He made his way downstairs at the sound of his stomach's rumbling, its need for something to eat temporarily distracted him from the desire to change out of the weird clothes he was still wearing.

xxxxx

Merlin had his head stuck in the fridge as he sorted out what he wanted to eat. The doorbell rang followed by the front door unlocking and soft footsteps moving up the stairway. Merlin closed the fridge door, missing the fact that someone had entered his house, and continued his search. As he was making his way back up the stairs with a plate of buttered toast and milk for Arthur, Merlin almost dropped them. His door was open and he could hear Will ranting around in his room.

"Merlin, is it too hard to clean after yourself? You want to get your own place, but can't seem to throw your dirty clothes in the hamper." His friend's voice rang through his open door, movement hinting that he was doing just that. "And next time your mother asks me to look after you I am so going to make sure cleaning after you isn't a part of it." With hamper full he turned around to gasp as he saw Merlin in the doorway, the hamper fell back to the ground spilling some of its content on his feet.

"Dude, if you are there then who's in your shower?" His friend asked pointing his finger at his friend and then at the bathroom, a worried look crossing his face.

"Uh, a friend," Merlin said as he put the toast and milk on his bedside table opposite side of his lizard's cage, giving the lizard a quick once over.

"A friend, I thought I was your only friend? Why haven't you mentioned him before?" Will pushed turning back to the bathroom and then moving to the doorway, lingering there unsure whether to leave or stay. "Is he the reason you always left me stranded alone so much these past few weeks?"

"No, I uh just met him; he just moved to town a few days ago and works in one of the places I had a job interview at." Merlin quickly half lied, leaving the real reason why he hadn't seen his friend as much as he would have liked out.

He was never good at lying and hoped his friend accepted it, the hurt in his friend's eyes making him feel even worse. Just then the door to the bathroom opened and Arthur stepped out wearing nothing but a small towel around his waist. He was busy drying his hair with another one that he didn't see Will standing in the doorway.

"That was the best bath I have had in my entire life. This place isn't so bad after all." Arthur said with a smile on his face as he looked up at Merlin, his bare wet chest rising and falling with ease.

Will cleared his throat, making Arthur turn around. The towel he was using to dry his hair fell to the ground and he let go of his grip on the towel around his waist. Before the towel around Arthur's waist could fall and join its brother on the floor, Merlin quickly moved towards him and grabbed on to it. Merlin could feel his cheeks redden as his hands lingered against Arthur's smooth wet skin. He had to force his eyes on something else in the room, anything but the prince's half naked body.

Arthur struggled with the reaction his body was starting to get in response to Merlin's hands on his hip and his closeness. Merlin's hair grazed his face and he could smell the nice nature aromas from it, a mixture of oak and pine. His face started to tint a slight red to match Merlin's and his throat was suddenly too dry. Everything in the room disappeared, all except for Merlin and then the moment was shattered.

"Merlin, no wonder you never mentioned your friend here. He is a complete jock or more like a complete asshole; I thought you were better than that. What else are you keeping from me, our high school's entire cheerleading team perhaps?" His friend scowled, the frown on his face grew and he quickly marched down the stairs. "Just keep the room clean Merlin, will you, I don't want to have to pick up condoms and dirty tissues." Will yelled from the bottom of the stairs, jealousy evident in his tone but still nonexistent in his friend's mind.

Merlin's face turned beet red and he called out to his friend, "It's not like that Will; you're always jumping to the worst conclusions. And since when have you cared about labels." But his reply reached blind ears as Will was already outside and halfway down the porch steps.

He let go of Arthur's towel and moved to follow his friend. Merlin closed the door behind him, missing the look of desire and confusing in Arthur's face that broke through his calm expression. By the time he had reached the front door, Will was gone. He sighed and closed the door, locking it once more and making a note to call his friend as soon as Arthur was fully clothed. With that in mind Merlin moved back up the stairs to finish fetching the prince fresh attire.

"Sorry my friend is pretty protective of me and he gets like that round people he doesn't know." Merlin said as he entered his room and turned his attention back to Arthur who was now holding his towel tighter and had his face turned the other way. "He really didn't mean those things he said."

"Uh, its ok my father is like that too." Arthur replied cautiously as he bent to get the other towel from the floor and went back to the bathroom, his eyes avoiding Merlin's.

He shut the door behind him and stared down at the hardness between his legs. Things were so messed up; he ran his hand across his still damped hair trying to think of something other than the desire to go back out there and toss Merlin over the bed, stripping him naked along the way. Merlin's touch still lingered on his skin and his smell on his nostrils.

"I have some clothes that might fit you, if you're interested." Merlin replied from across the room. "It might be a tight fit though." He finished as he rummaged through his drawer finding a new pair of boxers and then made his way back to his closet.

After looking through every pair of pants he owned, Merlin pulled out a black pair of jeans. He couldn't help but think how nice the color went with Arthur's frame. He shook his head; Will's comment was getting to him. He was not gay nor did he find guys interesting, so why did he care how a certain color looked on Arthur's nicely built figure? The way Arthur had made him moan had his body screaming for release a few moments ago proved the contrary.

Laying the pants on the bed next to the boxers, the realization that Arthur hadn't said anything for the past few minutes had Merlin worrying once more. What item was he currently racking his mind trying to figure out how it worked? He clumsily knocked on the door and tried to turn the knob, but felt a ruffle of movements behind it. Then the knob seemed to be held in place by something else then its lock. Merlin tried to turn it again, but was met with a still stubborn closed door.

"I will be out in a minute, Merlin." Arthur huffed from behind the door and Merlin took it as a good enough reply. He moved back to his closet to pick out the clothes he would wear, more than ready to be out of the ones he had on.

Sweat clung to Arthur's forehead and chest. His breathing was erratic and he stared at his hand that wasn't holding the door; it was covered in a semitransparent liquid. Arthur had made himself come while thinking of Merlin and as his voice had radiated across the wooden door he had spilled all over his hand. Good thing he had quick reflexes and managed to keep Merlin from opening the door again or he would have found himself in a very hard to explain situation. The way Arthur's body was reacting to Merlin, the person he had just met less than two days ago, confused the prince more than when he had to write a treaty for his father and explain to a visiting princess the rules of combat in a way she could understand at the exact same time.

The prince was pretty sure Merlin wasn't used to having another guy masturbating in his bathroom even much less so when he was masturbating to him and his voice. Washing his hands, Arthur secured the towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He almost came again then and there when his eyes fell on Merlin's half naked body. His glance trailed down the smooth back and delicate ivory skin, the feel of it still lingering in Arthur's memory. The thought of how Merlin's back could look like bend underneath him as he pushed him closer to the sheets allowing him better view of his bottom almost made Arthur drop the towel again.

Merlin had removed his shirt and was in the middle of removing his trousers when he looked up and nervously smiled at Arthur. The soft curse that had filled the silence in the room had alerted him to the prince's presence. His fingers lingered on the trousers and his feet shifted slightly against the pool near his feet that had been created by the jacket, shirt, and belt he had found himself wearing when he had come out of the lake. The darkened gaze in Arthur's eyes was hidden from Merlin by the damp bangs clinging to his face and the prince was free to continue taking in the half naked beauty in front of him.

"You can try those." Merlin said as he pointed at his bed and continued to remove his clothes leaving only his blue boxers on, glad to find he was still wearing his own undergarments.

It took a bit of concentration and control for Arthur to move to the bed and keep his eyes from grazing over Merlin's newly exposed flesh. The pale skin looked so enticing and smooth, as if unexplored by anyone. It mesmerized him as the thin, but well defined, back muscles moved as Merlin reached out and shifted through several hangers.

"There is some toast and milk for you as well. Feel free to wander downstairs if you like." Merlin said, stepping into the bathroom, he closed the door behind him to give Arthur and himself some privacy.

Arthur composed himself and dressed as quickly as he could. He winced as his muscles moaned in protest from not being used, his entire body was soar. Around this time, Arthur would have had his knights working up a good sweat, midway through their training. Gwaine would have managed to sneak off to the tavern and he would have send Leon to fetch him back. The thought of it made him chuckle.

The prince looked around the room taking in the medium sized drawer, the twin sized bed he had been lying on earlier, and a fairly decent closet. His eyebrows cringed as his eyes hovered for a brief moment at the few posters that decorated the walls and the small bookshelf. Then his eyes fell on Kilgharrah's cage, a weird sense of recognition hitting him as the small eyes of the lizard stared back at him.

Arthur tensed as Merlin exited the bathroom. Unlike himself Merlin had taken his undergarments with him and was now wearing red boxers. Merlin moved past him and bent down slightly to allow a leg threw his pants, sliding them upwards. Droplets of water clung to his short hair and ran down his chest. Arthur felt his body burn up with renewed desire, unable to tear his eyes from Merlin.

Merlin brought a shirt over his head and pulled it downwards to cover his slim belly. He turned around. "I'm going to go downstairs first. You finish up here and meet me downstairs in a bit ok." Merlin called to Arthur, picking up a new pair of socks and his shoes.

xxxxx

Arthur's bare feet fiddled with the strands of carpet near the doorway. He stared in awe at all the strange things in the living room. An object, reaching almost to the ceiling, slowly moved to show the passage of time, two small boxes with blinking lights rested on top of the biggest shelf in the room, and a flat thick screen suddenly blared images and sounds as Arthur accidently stepped on a similarly colored small device on the floor. The baffled prince really couldn't get over how different everything was to Camelot; he had never seen such weird contraptions even in any of the other kingdoms he had visited.

He definitely was no longer in Camelot. The prince continued to look around and recalled what he had seen out of Merlin's bedroom window, the passing cars and the paved streets dividing various weird constructions of buildings. Arthur's further pondering, that included what Balinor had said about Merlin being the only one who could get them back home was interrupted. Noises came from past some double doors. Setting the toast and glass of milk down on a small end table, the prince made his way towards them.

"Ouch" Arthur yelled as one of the doors suddenly swung open and smacked him right in the nose.

"Oh I am so sorry! I keep doing that with doors it seems." Merlin cried out as he hurried to shut the television off and then rushed back into the kitchen. "I'll get the first aid kit."

"No, it's ok. It's not broken, I am fine Merlin." Arthur stated as he stepped back a few steps, avoiding the swing of the door.

A small amount of blood covered his fingers as he withdrew them. He moved towards the couch, taking a seat while still pressing his fingers against his nose to stop the bleeding. Merlin came rushing into the living room holding the first aid kit, almost empty due to his various accidents around the house and everywhere else.

"I got it." Merlin said as he moved towards the young prince.

"I am fine." Arthur waved Merlin away as if he was dismissing one of his servants and then caught himself. "Really it's nothing I can't handle." He said tilting his nose up to show he wasn't bleeding anymore. "I've faced worse."

"I'm sure, since you practically showed up half dead in the lake." Merlin recalled, deciding to look Arthur over anyways to make sure he really was ok and not just pretending. Pressing gauze gently against the prince's nose, he wiped the blood away.

"Talking about the lake, I was thinking since you appeared there that you might be able to return back through it as well. " Merlin rambled, avoiding Arthur's eyes and instead concentrated on staring at the couch pillow behind him. "It's all we have to go on for now, it's worth a shot don't you think?"

Arthur just stared at him with a blank expression and then nodded unsure on what he had just agreed on, his mind still lingering on Merlin's lips inches from his face. Before he could lean forward to seal the gap between them Merlin moved off the couch and back into the kitchen. With the kit safely back in its place Merlin rushed passed Arthur and up to his room. Making sure he had his bag and phone, Merlin rushed down the stairs, he sheepishly handed Arthur his boots and a clean pair of socks.

"I don't have any shoes that will fit you, so you're stuck wearing yours. Come on!" Merlin stated as he moved to the front door and waited for Arthur to put them on, his smile growing wider as he heard him complain on how dirty they were.


	8. The Deadly Manticore

Chapter Seven: The Deadly Manticore

"You expect me to ride that?" Arthur said for the second time, still unwilling to accept what he was staring at.

Merlin got on his bike and patted the small area left behind him. Arthur threw a questioning look at Merlin, the desire to get back in the house growing by the second. There was no way he would ride anything besides a horse, no way. That contraption didn't look reliable at all.

"It's fine, just hold on to me tight and you won't fall off." Merlin reassured the prince.

Putting it off for as long as he could, Arthur got on. He wrapped his arms around Merlin's thin waist. It was going to be a very uncomfortable ride Arthur could tell because his body was already starting to welcome the closeness. He looked behind him to keep Merlin from noticing that he was blushing. Merlin smiled, Arthur was actually blushing.

They made their way to the park, which was oddly empty for it being the middle of the day. Once there they just stood on the bridge and stared at the calm waters below. The lake looked normal and all Merlin could see was his own reflection, any glimpses of Arthur's world gone now that the prince was in his.

Biting his bottom lip he leaned forward a bit hoping it would change if he got closer. Two firm arms grasped him and pulled him back and down the bridge. Merlin let his feet move with Arthur's. He stared at him with a confused expression on his face; the prince released his hold once he realized that Merlin was a safe distance from the bridge and the lake.

"What do you think you are doing? Are you crazy?" Arthur's voice quivered at the thought that Merlin might have hurt himself. Merlin just laughed when he caught on to what Arthur was insinuating at.

"No I wasn't going to jump in. I was hoping that since…" He started to say but stopped as he heard someone call out his name. He turned in the direction of one of the furthest benches from the lake and moved towards it taking in the familiar figure of Balinor. He smiled at the older man.

"I see you got my message." Merlin said, smiling again at the nod Balinor gave him.

"Is he coming or not?"

Merlin turned around to find Arthur still standing near the bridge. He had assumed Arthur would follow him; the prince must still be upset with Balinor and not trust him yet. Merlin shook his head and walked back to the stubborn prat.

"Come on, if anyone knows about what is going on its Balinor. Besides we can't think of anything." Merlin stated as he pulled Arthur by the arm and made his way back to the bench, hoping that the prince would behave properly and not attack the older man again.

Balinor smiled at Arthur. "I thought you would put up more of a fight."

"I'll give you a fight." Arthur snapped.

He felt his pride rise up and his control slip, he rushed at the older man. His hand reached for his sword automatically before he remembered he left it back at Merlin's house. Being unarmed had never stopped Arthur and he pushed Balinor back against the bench, his fingers tugging at the man's coat.

"What did you do with the last dragon?" Arthur's voice shook full of spite, the memory of seeing it vanish from the view of his chambers' window was almost enough to cause the prince to move his grip upwards to the man's throat.

"I did nothing to the great dragon." Balinor replied, his own voice getting thicker with emotion.

"Arthur, you should let him go. He is trying to help you." Merlin tried to reason with the riled prince.

Arthur turned his once more cold eyes towards Merlin. "If I want your opinion I will ask for it. I am a prince and you will remember your place." Arthur spat as his reasoning and logic got overthrown by the anger coursing through his entire body. "You don't know Balinor, you just met him. He is only trying to help himself."

"He saved my life Arthur that is all I need to know." Merlin tossed back. Arthur might be a prince, but they weren't in his world they were in his and even if they were in Camelot it still wouldn't matter to him. Status meant nothing to Merlin. "You're a prat and if you just took the chance to hear people out you wouldn't be such a big one."

"And you are an idiot with really big ears." Arthur found himself saying through gritted teeth.

Pushing the prince off him, Balinor smoothed out his coat. "If you don't want to believe me it's fine with me. But if you want to return to Camelot and have the great dragon return as well then step aside. Stop wasting my time." He said.

"What do you mean he saved your life?" The prince asked Merlin, shifting his gaze from one to the other. "And what do you mean for the great dragon to return?" Arthur spat at Balinor, still unable to drop his full gaze from Merlin and the words that made his chest feel in an uncomfortable new way. He didn't want to think about Merlin in danger, what could have happened that required Balinor to step in?

"Do you think you are the only one who found himself thrown into a world that is not your own against your will? The sooner we return to Camelot the safer the last great dragon will be. If we spend our time bickering and pointing figures then we might as well kill him ourselves." Balinor said. His eyes trailed to the trees behind Arthur and Merlin. Before Merlin and Arthur could turn behind them to see what Balinor had been staring at, he stepped towards them and gently tugged at their shoulders. "Come on lets go, it's not safe here anymore."

"A dragon, they really exist?" Merlin finally found the nerve to say, ignoring Arthur's still questioning look. "So there's more than just magic, everything else in fairytales is real as well?" He said, getting on his bike.

"Actually Merlin you will find that you already know the answers, for a long time now." Balinor said over his shoulder. "Leave the bike, we will walk. It's not far," He told Merlin before walking further up the path and pausing at the black gates for them.

Merlin locked his bike on the bike rack, tightened his grip on his bag and followed Arthur and Balinor out of the park. For what seemed like a half hour but really was only fifteen minutes, the three walked down town until they were standing outside a red building. The faded brick walls seemed out of place with the rest of the shops around it, their well-kept exterior making the building look even more run down than it was.

"The bookstore that just opened up, this is where you think we will find the answers we're looking for." Merlin asked as he continued to stare at the three story building, flyers and posters sticking to both sides of the glass windows and doors. The bars protecting the contents inside made him raise an eyebrow, who would want to steal from a book store and one that looked so shabby like this one?

"Oh I don't think, I know for a fact." Balinor said, a smile reaching his face for what appeared the first time in many years. "Let's just say that if there was a specialist on dimension leaping, or anything similar to that in this world this would be the place to find him." He opened the glassed door and stepped in, a small golden bell hovering in a string above his head ringing to announce the presence of a customer.

Arthur quietly followed. Merlin stared up at the building again before stepping inside. He moved around the small entrance a little too close to the prince that he almost stepped on his foot. Arthur was too busy looking at the many rows of shelves and books that made up the interior of the store to notice.

An elderly man, hair even whiter than snow, moved from behind a row of stacked books and towards the front counter. Suddenly the man reached for the closest book in the stack and hid his face behind it. He reached the three new arrivals, raising the book even higher where only his hairy eyebrows could be seen. Balinor seemed undisturbed by such weird behavior and seemed to be fighting back a laugh, which he successfully hid with a well-placed cough and hello.

Arthur couldn't keep his eyes away from the old man, trying to place a memory to that extensively messy short hair. The man was partly bald at the top and well off, his stomach protruding a bit too much in the middle section. His glances only caused the man to hunch his shoulders and decrease in size by almost two whole feet.

"I am looking for a very rare and special book that will help us clear up a problem we currently have." Balinor calmly stated nodding to the prince, not bothering to mention anything about crossing over worlds, transportation between two realms, and the sort.

The bookstore owner nodded, the tips of his hair now the only thing showing above the book, and pointed a single chubby finger towards the back of the bookstore. Balinor thanked him and moved further into the store, making his way slowly to the back where the elderly man had come from. Arthur made to follow but stopped when Merlin remained by the door unmoving.

"I just need to make a quick call, I will be right there." Merlin said, a nervous smile on his face, and stepped out before either Arthur or Balinor could argue otherwise.

Merlin walked to the edge of the sidewalk, as far away from the bookstore he could go while still staying close enough to be seen through the door. Waving his hand at Arthur who was now standing in the doorway with the door ajar, he hinted at the need of privacy and ignored Arthur's upset look. He sat on a small bench located two buildings to the right.

It was about time he explained himself to his friend or at least tried to make things a bit clearer, he knew very well how confused he was with everything and Will wouldn't be far behind. The phone rang five times before the line was picked up, Merlin was met with silence at first and he almost thought his friend had hung up on him until Will's stern voice echoed through the speaker.

"What is it Merlin? Ready to give me the real reason why a naked guy was in your room," His friend said, a hint of jealously still ringing in his voice. Merlin blinked and had to take a second to compose himself before answering.

"Look I can't tell you who he is exactly, but it's not what you think. It's not like that; I am just trying to help him out." He quickly said into his phone, shifting his feet on the sidewalk and kicking a small rock near him.

His eyes followed the rock as it bounced in the pavement and landed near a parked car's tire. The shadow underneath the car seemed off and it almost looked like it had shifted when the rock had landed on it. The sound of the small bell reached his ears and Merlin looked back towards the bookstore.

Arthur was standing outside the store and his eyes were glued on the bench Merlin was sitting on. Their eyes met briefly, the atmosphere between them becoming almost tense as the prince's gaze moved passed him, his blue eyes taking in every sight, street corner, passing pedestrians and shadows in the alley ways. What was he looking for? Merlin thought to himself completely forgetting that he was still on the phone.

"Merlin, are you listening?" Will called out, catching the failed reply to his question. Merlin smacked his forehead gently; he had totally missed whatever his friend had been saying. Now Will was probably even more pissed at him if the irritation in his voice was any indication.

"I'm sorry Will, look can I come over to your house later. I'll explain everything and make it up to you, I promise ok?" Merlin asked trying to keep his attention away from the pair of eyes that were now staring directly at him again and concentrate on his call.

He heard his friend sign followed by a simple ok and he quickly ended the call. Sticking his phone into his bag, Merlin made his way to Arthur. The prince pried the door open and stepped aside to allow Merlin to enter before entering the store himself. Both moved towards the back of the bookstore chancing side stares at each other.

Balinor glanced up from a stack of books and quietly nods to a direction of two other stacks. Arthur ignored him, submerging himself in one of the chairs and putting his feet up on the table. Merlin walked towards the stack nearer the back and slowly started going through each one. He wasn't sure what book they were looking for, nor what it was called, but he kept looking still too riled by Arthur's last look to let Balinor see the blush still on his face.

When Merlin felt the normal heat of his cheeks return, he made to move towards Balinor but he felt a pull coming from behind a shelf down a row near where he was standing. He looked at Arthur and Balinor, but neither seemed to have seen or heard the shuffling. Arthur was practically taking a nap and Balinor was too engrossed in the books in front of him.

Taking a look back at his stack of books and then back to the shelf, he moved towards the direction of the pull, it was similar to the one he had felt when he had been directed to the lake. A book fell from one of the shelves and Merlin picked it up. He ran his fingers against the thick spine of the book feeling a tingle from it and headed back, but ended up taking the wrong turns until he was completely lost. He turned in circles trying to figure out the way he had come. The bookstore was like a maze, stacks of books were piled almost to the top, and it was much bigger than it had looked from the outside.

From the corner of his eye, Merlin caught a glimpse of red before it vanished behind another row of shelves. He moved towards it, finding them empty, and walked further down it. Arthur's voice rang out, calling to him a few ways off. Before he could shout his location, a sharp pain shot from his upper back. It was like nothing Merlin had ever felt and it doubled followed by another slash to his shoulder. The book fell from his hands sliding across the floor.

He spun around and glanced at the top of the shelves holding onto his injured shoulder. Whatever it was it was fast. Books tumbled from the shelves to fall near Merlin's feet making him move back and bang himself against a table half hidden under more books. Something large jumped on the table knocking most of them off and Merlin swirled on his heels. He gasped at the huge creature in front of him, it had a body of a lion, great bat like wings sprang from its back, and its hard scaled tail loomed closer to him.

The sharp curved point slashed at his chest before he could get out of the way. A scream escaped Merlin's lips as he stumbled against the book shelves. The creature moved down the table attempted to circle around him. Another shout, this time Balinor's had the beast retreating back up the shelves glaring its teeth. The sound of broken glass sliced through the quietness of the bookstore followed by shattered glass hitting the floor boards of the second floor. Merlin's attacker was gone, a broken window and a wounded Merlin surrounded by knocked over books the only proof it had existed.

Merlin staggered against the table; his fingers desperately clung to the edge shaking against the pain that ran through his entire body. Blood dripped off his back and chest, down his arm, soaking into his clothes. Merlin's eyes locked on a worried Arthur coming around a corner, the floor spun from under him and he fell to the ground with a loud thump. More books fell off the table to follow him, they were the last thing Merlin saw before the darkness over took him Arthur's and Balinor's anguished cries falling on deaf ears.

Balinor rushed past Arthur to Merlin's side, fighting against the horrific sight of his injured son. Blood clung to Merlin's slim frame and the ground underneath him. He quickly fell to his knees, running an arm under Merlin's neck, lifted him upwards, the wound on his back now clearly visible. Merlin's eyes rolled to the back of his head and intense shakes racked through his body in an increasing rate. Balinor had to tighten his hold on him to keep him from banging his head against the floor boards. Black veins started to spread under Merlin's skin like roots of a tree, shooting from the cut in his chest to the rest of his body.

"What is wrong with him?" Arthur cried out, his eyes glued on Merlin and the black marks. "Do something, Balinor you have to do something."

Balinor pushed back the worried feeling in his gut and called out to the shop owner. "Geoffrey, Arthur I need your help to hold him down."

The elderly man moved from the quite spot he had been standing behind Arthur and rushed to Balinor's side. Arthur's expression changed slightly taking in the shop owner for the first time, recognition hitting him hard.

"You!" He called out, moving to kneel beside Merlin.

"Now isn't the time Arthur. If we don't hurry Merlin will die. Hold him legs down." Balinor yelled, his control completely gone. "You can whine all you want about Geoffrey later." He turned his golden eyes back to Merlin and extended one hand to the gash on Merlin's back and another over his chest.

"_Gestepe hole! Purhhaele" _

"You will need more than magic to heal him Balinor, those wounds were caused by a Manticore and its poison is deadly." Geoffrey explained, hurrying past Arthur towards the second floor. He returned after much clattering later, a small vial in his fat hand. The elderly man quickly handed Balinor the white concoction. "This was one of Gaius' last gifts he gave me before I was banished from Camelot. Thought he had lost his mind in giving me this, but now it seems he wasn't completely insane."

Balinor uncorked the bottle and held it against Merlin's lips. "Drink this son, you can't die or it would be the end of your mother and me not just Camelot."

Carefully empting the liquid down Merlin's throat, he handed the bottle back to Geoffrey and forced himself to wait. There was no change and Balinor's heart sank in his chest, he looked at the prince and it sank even more. Arthur was standing near Merlin's feet, his hands tight fists on his side and tears glistered brightly against the blue hue of his eyes.

"He can't die, Merlin can't die. I was just starting to get used to his overly huge ears." Arthur said so softly that it was just above a whisper.

The black marks slowly start to retract and disappear. Merlin coughed. "Ugh, what did I just drink, it tastes like moldy socks." He said, wiping his tongue with the collar of his shirt. "Are you trying to kill me?"

No one said anything and Merlin looked up to find everyone staring at him with a worried expression on their faces. He looked at his blood soaked clothes and then at Balinor and Arthur, a scared look on his own face. "What happened to me?"

"Just relax Merlin, I can heal them now." Balinor said and once more concentrated his magic on the wounds. _"Gestepe hole! Purhhaele" _His eyes turned gold and magic started to tingle at the tips of his fingers before they shot out towards Merlin's body to awaken the magic there.

Merlin closed his eyes, the magic ran through his entire body replacing the pain and he could feel it grow. An intense heat spread from his back and shoulder. He could sense his eyes turn gold under his eyelids, his magic adding to the spell. It was too much for his weak body and he found himself losing consciousness again. The last thing he remembered was Arthur's hold on his hand and Balinor's voice calling out to him that everything would be alright.

"What you gave Merlin was a temporary cure to the poison coursing through his body. The manticore's magic is too strong even for the boy. It must be killed in order for the poison to completely disappear." Geoffrey stated. "If it is not killed within four days Merlin will die."

Arthur tried to pick up Merlin, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. "I will take him boy." Balinor simply stated, unwilling to try and hide the shaking in his voice.

He picked up the limp form of Merlin and headed to the front of the store. Merlin's safety and rest was now the first thing on his mind, getting Arthur and himself back to Camelot would have to wait. Balinor tried to cast a spell to transport them back to Merlin's house, but his magic had almost depleted. Geoffrey caught on to it and unlocked one of his many drawers that made his front desk.

"This will help you cast your transportation spell." Geoffrey called out to Balinor, placing a white crystal and its leather strip necklace in the man's large hand. "It is quite useless for a non-magic user, but for those with magic it serves as a temporary booster. Take it and use it sparingly."

Balinor clasped his hand firmly around the small crystal and thanked his friend. His eyes turned gold once more and a great white light shot through the bookstore. It vanished along with them, leaving Geoffrey to stare at his even messier shop.

xxxxx

Back in Merlin's bedroom, a white light filled its enclosure, Balinor, Arthur, and Merlin appeared in its center. Arthur stepped back a few steps, the unexpected transportation had made his stomach a bit wheezy. Balinor gently placed Merlin's still sleeping form on the bed, covering him with the sheets, before going downstairs, silence following him. He stumbled against the couch; he had wasted more magic than he had thought. Even with the crystal Geoffrey had given him the aftereffect was still enough to knock him off his feet.

Small claws clung to his trousers. His brown sad eyes fell on Kilgharrah climbing hurriedly up his leg. "I am sorry we didn't take you with us to the shop." Balinor told the small lizard. "But now I need you, old friend, to do me a favor and search for the Manticore." The lizard's eyes glowed gold and it disappeared into thin air, Balinor's last words left unspoken but his meaning clearly understood far before he had even spoken.

Once more alone, with the prince still preoccupied in Merlin's room, Balinor lay all the way on the couch. He let his eyes close, ready to let sleep overcome him, when the doorbell rang. It's deafening ring echoed through the entire house. Balinor opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, a soft curse reaching his lips as he moved off the couch and towards the door. The doorbell rang several more times, each ring becoming more persistent and louder, before Balinor was able to reach it and swing it open with another curse on his lips.

"Bloody hell, one ring is sufficient." His brown eyes softened taking in the worried expression of Merlin's friend.

"You, you're the guy Merlin and I met at the park." Will managed to say, the man's tall form was overbearing.

His eyes wandered past Balinor's shoulders to the stairs. "Why are you in Merlin's house? Where is Merlin?" He pried slipping past the older man, his much smaller form making it easy for him to fit in the space between him and the door frame.

Not waiting for a reply he rushed up the stairs with an increased pace, the thought of the empty hiding spot where the extra key should have been still nagging at the back of his mind. The endless unanswered calls looming heavily on his fears as Will pried open the door to Merlin's room. The lights were off and it was already well past the afternoon. It took a moment for Will's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room as he fumbled with the light switch.

The lights turned on, filling the room with its brightness and Will's jaw dropped open. His breath seemed to escape him and he looked like a fish fresh out of the water. He didn't know what to react to first, Arthur sitting next to Merlin's sleeping form, his hands grasping his friend's pale soft ones or the or the blood stains on Merlin's clothes which the sheets had failed to hide all the way. His face filled with anger as the desire to protect his friend took over his senses. Will rushed towards Merlin and punched him square in the jaw, catching the prince somewhat off guard.

Arthur fell to the floor, his eyes taking in Will for the first time. "What the hell?" He shouted, rubbing his jaw, his eyes turning dark to reflect the anger rising in him.

"Stay away from Merlin." Will replied, his own anger beyond concealment. "I want you to stay away from my friend, do you hear me. I don't know what is going on with you two or what it has to do with Balinor but enough is enough."

"You have no say in what I do with Merlin or how long I stay by his side." Arthur rose to his feet and stared past Will, Balinor was standing on the doorway. He caught the glimmer of gold before it left the man's eyes and Will remained frozen on the spot.


	9. Moving Further than Expected

Chapter Eight: Moving Further than Expected

"At this rate all my magic will be gone." Balinor said as he moved towards Will, leaving the comfort of the doorframe. The boy was completely frozen on the spot, his mouth was partly open, his finger pointed at Arthur, he had been about to say something else when the spell had taken its toll.

"Well maybe you should try to resolve problems without using _magic_." Arthur replied making sure to add emphasis to the last word. He snickered and sat back on the bed. "That is what is wrong with you magic users, always so quick to think magic will solve everything."

Balinor gave him a serious look, disliking Arthur's logic. "What do you suggest, violence?" Arthur returned the look, both unable to back down the silent war their eyes were taking part in. "Well in that case," Balinor said, breaking their stare and laying his hand on Will's shoulder. "You take care of it." Will unfroze, the spell removed, and Balinor moved back to the doorway, out of the way.

"How dare you," Will yelled swinging his fist at Arthur, completely missing the fact that he had just been frozen. "Keep your filthy hands off my friend."

Arthur moved back dodging the punch with ease. "It's not what you think, well maybe it is." The prince said cocking his head to the side, a devilish grin on his face.

"Argh" Will swung again but Arthur wasn't about to get clobbered twice, his guard was up this time. He moved off the bed to prevent Merlin from getting caught up in their fight.

"You have some nerve, you're telling me you weren't about to kiss him." Will sneered, moving to tackle Arthur when his punches failed.

He threw himself against the prince, his eyes fully blaring with anger. Arthur's fell to the floor hard, his breath knocked out of him, and he lay pinned with Will on top of him. Though Will's punches didn't reach their destination, Will's words did and Arthur blushed at the mentioning of his act in trying to kiss Merlin.

"Get off me." Arthur yelled in his commanding tone. "I said get off me." He pushed Merlin's friend off him and they rolled on the floor several times, both unable to let it go just yet.

Arthur managed to end up on top, landing a few punches of his own. He slammed Will hard against the carpet, and stepped back towards the closet. A small trail of blood ran down his bottom lip to his chin and he wiped it away with his hand. He ran a hand across his hair just as he noticed the look Balinor was giving him. He looked away, unable to make out the meaning behind the stare and he unsure if he even wanted to.

"That is enough. You both need to calm down," Balinor stated chancing another glimpse at the prince's back and holding back the desire to punch him himself. "Merlin was helping us with something and we brought him to his house that is all."

"Help, why is he unconscious then?" Will's voice crackled with each word spoken and he moved closer to his friend. "There is blood on his clothes, why would there be blood on his clothes if he was just helping you all with something? I'm not stupid, don't play with me."

Balinor moved closer to Will to try and calm the young boy down. "Keep away, don't you come any closer. I am calling the police." Will stated nervously taking out his cellphone from his jean pocket. A sensation ran up his legs to his face and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Darkness over took him and Will fell to the floor unconscious.

"Can't say I didn't try," Balinor picked him up along with the boy's cellphone and flipped him over his shoulder. "I am going to take him back, when Merlin wakes up call me. I'm sure you can handle the simple challenge of using a phone." Balinor told Arthur, pulled out the crystal from one of the pockets in his coat and a white light shot through the room. He vanished along with the unconscious Will, leaving Arthur alone with Merlin.

xxxxx

Merlin stirred, he could feel something stiff and heavy on his arm. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up; Arthur was fast asleep next to him, he was sitting on the carpet with his head and arms resting on top of Merlin's arm. Merlin slowly moved his arm from under Arthur and rubbed at it shaking off the numbness. He reached over and turned on the lamp resting on his dresser, a small amount of light illuminated the dark room allowing Merlin to see Arthur's sleeping expression better.

"So am I the sleeping beauty or are you?" Merlin whispered in Arthur's ear unable to resist the urge to tease the sleeping prince. He felt very nervous and excited at the same time.

Arthur woke up and jerked backwards, his ear tinted deep red. He touched his ear, Merlin's breathe still tingling against his skin, and his cheeks turn the same color. "Merlin you're awake."

"I was, we were….I mean how do you feel?" Arthur asked rising to his feet, finding it hard to find the right words, and sat on the bed next to Merlin.

"I'm fine," Merlin replied. "And Balinor, where is he? I want to thank him for healing me." He wanted to ask Balinor about what had exactly happened and what that creature had been, he had never seen anything like it before.

"He's not here," Arthur explained, holding back the part about Balinor wanting to know when Merlin woke up or that Will had been here.

He smiled and leaned forward and let his lips barely graze Merlin's, he could hear the sharp breath Merlin took, and he pulled back to look into his eyes. His smile turned into a grin, Merlin was blushing from ear to ear and his eyes had turned a darker color. His mind filled with images of Merlin naked and hot under him, crowding his thoughts and better judgment.

"Merlin," Arthur said just above a whisper, "I want you."

Arthur lost his shy composure and he kissed Merlin, hard and passionately. He pushed Merlin all the way to the bed, his lips never leaving Merlin's. Pushing back the warning banging against his head, he ran a hand up Merlin's legs parting them wide enough to slide his weight between them. The prince struggled with the desire to tear Merlin's clothes off and instead concentrated on the kiss.

Everything in the room was spinning; Merlin didn't know why he didn't push Arthur off and end the kiss. Arthur was a prince from another world, he had to return to it and Merlin couldn't follow. But no matter how heavy his heart felt at that thought, he didn't want him to stop, ever. He spread his legs wider to let Arthur set himself better between his legs and he moaned into the blonde's mouth.

Merlin pulled at Arthur's shirt nervously, clinging to the fabric and then tugging at it trying to hint at the need for it to be off. He wanted to see Arthur naked, he wanted to touch and taste every inch of his firm flesh against his body and inside him. His fingers gave up the tug of war with the prince's shirt instantly slipping under the rough material to explore the tight flesh there.

Arthur felt his entire body melt under Merlin's touch; he could feel the heat coming between Merlin's legs, his cock now fully hard. He ended the kiss and shifted back a little to get a better view of Merlin's pants; unbuckling them he slipped them down taking his time to let his fingers graze the soft pale legs that threatened to be his undoing. He tossed them to the carpet and proceeded to take his own off finding it hard to keep his fingers from the skin nicely exposed in front of him.

Merlin moaned, bit his lip, and then let out a gasp as Arthur's fingers trailed up his thighs to circle around his hard shaft. His fingers clasped the blond locks and pulled, bringing Arthur's lips close for another kiss. Arthur moved back in between his legs thrusting against his body and making their cocks rub against each other. He wrapped his legs around the prince's hips and thrust upwards wanting to feel all the warmth that was Arthur.

"Merlin," Arthur gasped between kisses. "Merlin, are you sure this is what you want?" He hated himself for asking but he needed to know. He needed to know that Merlin wanted him, all of him.

"Yes Arthur I want you, I want you inside me." Merlin said between half parted eyes.

His body was screaming for it and he wasn't strong enough to fight it anymore. He had fallen for the prince the first moment he had stumbled into his chambers maybe way before he had even met him. Merlin didn't know if that was even possible but his body and heart was telling him that this was the way it should be. He felt that Arthur was the only one capable of making his body drown in the ecstasy it was feeling now, the only one who could ever make him whole.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered as he tugged at Arthur's shirt, bringing his hips even higher.

"You're so beautiful." Arthur said, removing the last garment preventing him from feeling every part of Merlin's flesh. He tossed it next to their pants, and then removed Merlin's, running his hands over Merlin's chest.

His fingers caressed the two pink nipples, flicking them, rubbing them, until they were hard and perky. He lowered his mouth over one and licked it, his tongue greedily circled around it, sucking it, before moving to the next one. Arthur could feel himself reach his limit and he lifted Merlin's small hips upwards towards him.

"This might hurt." Arthur had never been with anyone, female or male, but he had heard Gwaine whine plenty times before on how many virgins he had taken to his bed. He had grown to learn to stay away from Gwaine after he had spent many hours at the tavern or he would be forced to hear them all over again.

"I've never been with…." Merlin lost his trail of speech as Arthur's lips fell on his. His stomach felt tight and unsettled at the realization of what he was about to do.

Arthur shifted on the bed, getting a better angle, and with one solid movement brought Merlin's hips even higher trusting into him. He pushed slowly, inching his way inside. It was so tight, so hot. He paused after a few inches, catching his breath and fighting back the climax that danced behind his closed eyelids. His muscles tensed, his shaft throbbed with the need to go deeper.

"Ah…" Merlin gasped from the pain, breaking the kiss.

He desperately clung to Arthur, his nails dug to the back of the prince's neck as his wall tightened against the intrusion. For a moment they stayed just like that, their mouths open, lips barely touching, their chests heaving hard against each other. They breathed into each other's faces, the warm air adding to the heat rising up their bodies.

Arthur rested his forehead on Merlin's and licked his lips, he thrust deeper. He ran his hands under Merlin's soft and tender ass, squeezing them slightly before moving them hard against him. His cock slipped the rest of the way, closing in the gape, and Arthur found himself cursing under his breath. Pure desire coursed through his body and took over his senses.

"Merlin I can't hold back anymore."

Merlin looked at him, his eyes full of lust and desire, and that was all Arthur needed. He thrust hard and fast into Merlin, filling the room with their moans and gasps. Arthur felt himself fall apart. The walls he had built around his heart tumbled, leaving a rumble of shattered bricks and clouds of dust behind. His ears filled with Merlin's painful moans and he could do nothing else but thrust harder and faster. He moved his hand to Merlin's cock, caressing the tip coated with pre-cum, and moving it down and up pumping it vigorously. He wanted Merlin to feel the same desire he was feeling.

"Arthur," Merlin gasped as the pain got mixed with the pleasure of Arthur jerking him off. He tightened his grip on Arthur's hips, bringing his legs further around him, and thrust upwards, moaning even louder as Arthur's cock hit its mark. The slick movement of Arthur's fingers against the hilt of his shaft and down his length drove him close to the edge. He let go of Arthur's neck and clung desperately to the sheets calling out his prince's name over and over, Arthur's cock rubbing against his sensitive spot in every thrust.

"Louder, say it louder." Arthur ordered, thrusting deeper, pushing Merlin harder against the bed and making the pillow fall off the bed. He clung to Merlin's hips arching downwards to lick a trail up Merlin's chest to the side of his neck. He could feel him stretching around his shaft, swallowing him whole, and making him go even further.

"Arthur, Arthur…." Merlin called out arching his back as the pain was forgotten under all the pleasure. Arthur was making him drown in pools of heat; sweat ran down his back and his stomach, clung to his hair and made his grip slip. Every inch of him was sensitive to the touch.

Merlin could almost taste his climax, it was so close and he could see that Arthur was too. He ran his hand up the bare chest above him and caressed the side of Arthur's face. His prince was handcrafted perfection, true beauty in human form, and even if it was just for one night he was all his. Merlin shifted upwards to kiss Arthur slowly then with more vigor, moving his hips faster to match Arthur's thrusts.

Arthur's muscles ached with the need to press on harder. He rammed into Merlin mercilessly, his moans driving him momentarily deaf. He moved Merlin's hand from his face and brought their hands over his heart entwining their fingers together. One final thrust and he spilled his cum inside Merlin. Arthur could feel Merlin's warm cum on his abdominals and he grinned into their kiss. He pulled out slowly, some of his hot seed trailing down to the sheets.

"I would say that settles it then don't you agree?" Arthur said, breaking their kiss and sitting back bringing Merlin to sit on top of his lap. He ran his hands down Merlin's back and was taken aback by just how even more beautiful Merlin looked after sex. His eyes took in all of Merlin in the lamp light and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Settle what?" Merlin asked his breathing still not back to normal.

"The second round," Arthur teased running his lips down Merlin's neck to rest on his collar bone. "I'm not planning on stopping after one taste." He rubbed Merlin's hips with his to prove his case.

"But we…." Merlin blushed, Arthur was fully hard.

Arthur didn't let him finish, he muffled any protests Merlin was about to make with his mouth. He let his tongue explore every taste, every corner of Merlin's mouth and his fingers caress every inch of ivory delicacy. Merlin was like a poison, hard to get out of his system, and yet the type you grew addicted to after just one doze. Arthur didn't want to think about the possibility of having to go without him, Geoffrey's words about the Manticore echoed at the back of his mind.

Merlin felt himself start to get hard, Arthur's fingers and tongue causing the heat to return to his body in a rush. He could feel his flesh burn up, yet his body shivered at the loss of his touch. Merlin rocked his hips against Arthur, faster and harder, rubbing himself against him. He moaned in need to have Arthur inside of him and he caressed Arthur's thick shaft with both his hands, running his hands up and down its length. The void was getting too unbearable and Merlin whined in Arthur's mouth.

"Tell me what you want Merlin."

"I want you in me." Merlin pleaded, submitting to Arthur's will completely.

"Fuck," Arthur cursed, he couldn't wait any longer either. Merlin was a total tease.

He raised Merlin upwards and positioned his cock in Merlin's entrance. He pushed Merlin down hard, thrusting into the heat his body craved for the second time. Merlin brought his legs close to Arthur's and wrapped his arms around Arthur. Arthur clamped his teeth on Merlin's shoulder and bit down, bruising, breaking the skin and drawing blood. He licked at the bite mark and then further up his neck.

Merlin threw his head back at the feel of Arthur's lips on his neck, providing the prince with more access to it. He tightened his grip on Arthur, his toes curling into the bed sheets. Thrust after thrust, their bodies moved together with a perfect fit. Arthur dug his fingers harder into Merlin's hips. Merlin winced against the pressure of Arthur's nails digging into his skin.

The bed creaked under their weight and Arthur had to shift his legs to keep them from falling off. He thrust harder and pulled Merlin closer to him. He moved further into the center of the bed bringing Merlin with him. The sweat on their bodies was making their grips on each other harder to maintain. Arthur thrust faster and in one final thrust they came together, lips clasped in a deep kiss. They fell to the bed in a heap of tired limbs and sweaty body parts.

Arthur pulled the sheets over them and set himself behind Merlin. "I love you." He confessed as he wrapped his arms around Merlin's thin waist and nudged him from behind.

"Arthur I…." Merlin stared up at the ceiling trying to push back the sadness that started to seep back into his heart.

"Don't say anything; take your time to think about it." Arthur said, the way he was right now he wouldn't be able to handle if Merlin rejected him. He knew he felt the same way as him at least sexually.

Merlin pressed his back closer to Arthur and covered Arthur's hands with his, gently squeezing them. He didn't need any thinking. He knew exactly how he felt, but was scared that if he said what he felt, that if he admitted that he loved him too, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to send him home.

"In the meantime, should I convince your body that I am the only one it needs to crave?" Arthur teased, licking the back of Merlin's earlobe.

A giggle from Merlin gave him the courage to continue. He moved back on top of Merlin and rubbed his hip against Merlin's. He didn't dare break their eye contact; he wanted to see every reaction Merlin could make. Slipping his hand down the side of his body, his fingers lingered on the inside of Merlin's thighs. A sheepish grin spread across his face and he moved his hand further. Merlin's entire body was tense, he could feel the heat rising between their legs and Arthur increased his movements. He slipped one finger into Merlin's entrance, in and out, making slight circular movements before inserting another.

Merlin lost control of his body. His hips moved up, driving Arthur's fingers deeper into him and he bit his bottom lip. Arthur was making him crazy with desire all over again. His cock twitched and grew in size as he began to harden. Another finger slipped inside and Merlin moaned in protest. He wanted another part of Arthur inside him, pounding him senseless and making him come so hard he was seeing stars. His hands moved up Arthur's abs and then to his sides pulling Arthur closer to him.

"Your mine Merlin, mine alone." Arthur said his voice raspy and low.

He pulled his fingers out and thrust deep into Merlin. The heat was even more invigorating, the tightness intense, and Arthur struggled to concentrate on going slow. He moved painfully slow, in and out, pulling all the way out and then back in, his eyes taking in every moan, every gasp, Merlin made. Every thrust was torture for Arthur and soon he found himself thrusting harder and faster. He brought one of Merlin's legs upwards to his side allowing him to push deeper. Thrust after thrust and they were lost in their love making once more.

Arthur buckled forward, his body tensed as he came. He continued to thrust and two more times had Merlin coming on his stomach. Merlin moved wet strands from Arthur's face and kissed him slowly and tenderly. Arthur stayed inside Merlin for a little longer, he let his cock soften and go limp before taking it out. He looked down at Merlin and wondered how someone so beautiful could exist and why he couldn't exist in his world. They let sleep overtake them and fell asleep in each other's arms.

xxxxx

Merlin woke up. He looked around, setting his sights at the clock, it read 4am. He carefully moved the sheets off him, not wanting to disturb Arthur, and got out of bed. His legs gave way and he tumbled to the ground, his entire body was sore and it ached especially in the area between his legs. Merlin felt a strange feeling form at the pit of his stomach. He had given himself to Arthur, heart and body. He slowly pulled on his clothes, ignoring the strains of pain shooting through his body.

He gave one last glance at the sleeping Arthur and went downstairs. He fumbled in the dark for the light switch at the bottom of the stairway and gasped when he found Balinor standing in the middle of the living room. His coat was more ruffled than before and he looked like he hadn't slept for days. One look at him and Merlin knew he was injured. Balinor clung to the edge of the couch for support, his knuckles pale white.

Merlin didn't know what to do, all the blood on Balinor's face was gone, and he looked white as a sheet. He rushed to his side just as the older man lost his strength and tumbled forward. Merlin heaved under his weight, desperately clinging to the couch to keep them from falling all the way to the floor. A few huffs later and Merlin managed to drag Balinor to the front side of the couch. Setting him down, he quickly made his way to the kitchen to hunt down the first aid kit.

He ran back and kneeled in front of Balinor, sliding the coat open to reveal the wounds. He gasped in shock, the cuts were massive. One took up most of his chest and two more seeped deep across his left side. The skin and muscles were cut clean through. Heavy layers of blood soaked into the man's clothes clinging to his frame, making an overall gruesome sight.

"I've been searching for the Manticore these past two days but something else found me. Another shadow was here." Balinor said, his chest rising at a painfully slow rate. "It turned out to be much stronger than the other one, but don't worry I got it in the end just not before it got me."

Two days? He had been asleep for two days. And what was this about a Manticore and another shadowed beast? Merlin pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, it wasn't important at the moment. He clumsily shuffled through the first aid kit, tearing the containers apart and knocking stuff over. Merlin pressed the bandages against the chest wound and his fingers shook, there was so much blood.

He looked up when Balinor pressed a hand over his. "These won't help me Merlin. I don't have much time left."

"Than what, tell me what can I do?"

"Only magic can save me now."

"Magic," Merlin replied, his fingers shaking at an uncontrollable rate. "I can't. I don't have any idea on how to heal you." He made to get up and move away but Balinor tightened his grip on Merlin's fingers bringing Merlin back to his knees.

"You can do it just close your eyes and concentrate. The words will come to you and your magic will do the rest." He let go of Merlin's hand, his own falling heavily against his side. "This is who you are; don't be afraid to use your gift."

Merlin could feel his eyes water, tears threatened to fall down his cheeks, blinding him and blurring his vision. He pressed his palm on Balinor's chest, spread his fingers wide covering more of the wound, and closed his eyes. He tried to concentrate, let the magic guide him, and it spread through his body like wild fire. Words started to fill up in his mind; he shifted through them looking for the right ones. Just as they were near enough for him to grasp them they slipped further away. He tried again and again.

Balinor's breath became almost nonexistent and Merlin opened his eyes. His fingers were covered in blood and he could feel the fear seep into his heart. Balinor was dying, his chest was barely moving and his eyes were fully closed. A single tear fell down his face and he wiped it away with his other hand. Balinor couldn't die; he had barely gotten to know the older man who was so much like him. Closing his eyes he tried again. This time the words appeared in his mind clear as day.

"_Þurhhæle dolgbenn" _He chanted opening his eyes, gold flashing in them.


	10. Playing with Time

Chapter Nine: Playing with Time

Magic pulsed in his palm and shot from his fingers to Balinor's chest, the wounds radiated a tint of golden color. At first nothing happened and then they started to slowly heal. The skin mended together leaving no traces of a wound ever being there in the first place. Merlin dropped the rest of the way to the floor, banging his foot on the couch, and ran his hands to the sides of his head, blood smearing against his skin. He had done it. A nervous smiled crossed his face as Balinor started to come around and he found himself softly laughing. Balinor was saved.

Balinor shifted to get up, but fell back down on the couch, still too weak from the blood loss. He stared at his blood soaked clothes and then at his son. Merlin quickly gathered the items and stuffed them back into the first aid kit. A hand on his shoulder had him pausing and looking up.

"Thank you Merlin." Balinor said moving closer, his confession at the edge of his lips. He wanted to tell Merlin that he was his son.

"You did the same for me remember." Merlin said, blushing slightly. "It's the least I can do; after all you helped me make sense of what was happening to me."

"Merlin there is something else I want, I need to tell you." Balinor aid shifting to his fatherly voice and dropping his guard, his face became gentler and his eyes gained some of their luster. He moved further to the edge of the couch, still keeping his hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"What do you think you are doing?" Arthur blared as he stomped his way towards Merlin and Balinor. He yanked Merlin up and away from Balinor's grasp and stepped between them. "Merlin is with me."

"I was just attending to his wounds." Merlin explained, holding on to the kit and trying to keep more of the items from falling out of it to the floor. He blushed from ear to ear at Arthur's last words.

"I wasn't talking to you Merlin." Arthur snapped, turning around to face him. He couldn't leave Merlin alone for a moment and he was already letting others touch him. "You stay out of this."

Balinor stood up and noticed that Arthur was only wearing jeans. He looked past the infuriated prince and caught the beginning of a mark on Merlin's neck. His mind connected the two and the nail marks on Arthur's back did the rest. His face filled with rage, his fatherly mode took over. He could feel his protective tendencies kick in. Arthur had slept with his son. His hands became fists at his side and he glared at Arthur with pure killing intent.

Arthur turned his attention back to Balinor, catching the look on his face matching it with his own furious expression. "I don't know what you're intents are old man, but Merlin is mine." He moved to stand only inches from the sorcerer, the atmosphere in the room got so thick that one could feel it in the air.

"Boy, my intentions for Merlin are not the same as yours." Balinor replied. It took him a few moments to get a grasp on his anger and he slowly unfolded his fists. The phone in his coat rang, snapping him back to the most pressing matter besides his son's innocence.

"Hello," He snapped into the phone and then his face relaxed. "Yes we will be right over." And with that he hung up and walked to the door. "Let's go, Geoffrey is waiting for us, he believes he has found something we need to see."

Arthur managed to put a few more items of clothes on and they made their way to the bookstore. The inside of the bookstore looked in a greater disorder than the last time they had been there. Merlin took his time to really look around; he ran his fingers across the spines of several books that were lying on a table near the entrance. They varied in size but all looked really old.

His fingers lingered on them for a second time. Small voices called out to him, some were singing, others chanting nonsense and demanding to be picked up and read. Merlin smiled, lost in them. They were books of magic. He stopped on one book, his hand caressed the spin and he recognized the tingling sensation. A single word sneaked into his mind, "moon."

Balinor used this opportunity to pull Arthur to the side away from Merlin. "I want you to stay away from him. This relationship, whatever it is, must stop."

"You have no right to ask that of me." Arthur snared, he was not going to let anyone stand between him and Merlin, not even a sorcerer. "Merlin and I have feelings for each other and we will do as we please."

"I have ever right and you will do as I say. You don't want to see what I will do if you don't." Balinor threatened. "There is nothing I wouldn't do to protect my son. I have stood by for far too long to let him get hurt by someone like you."

"Your son…?" Arthur snapped back, some of his anger dissipating at the realization. "Does he know he is your son?" He asked looking back at Merlin who was now sitting down flipping through a book.

"No," Balinor answered. "I haven't found the right time to tell him."

"I thought you told Merlin everything?"

"It is a bit complicated." Balinor said. He wasn't about to explain his family issues with a spoiled prince who was used to getting everything he wanted at a snap of his fingers.

"So he doesn't know he is from our world?" Arthur asked his heart felt a bit lighter, it meant Merlin could return with him.

"That is of lesser importance right now. You must understand that Merlin has magic, he was born with it, and he will play no role in your father's vendetta. I will not let him get hurt to satisfy your selfish needs." Balinor declared before moving back towards Merlin. Arthur rubbed his forehead and followed, not wanting to fully understanding the implications Balinor had just unraveled. Merlin had magic.

Geoffrey greeted them, sticking his head over the railing on the third floor. He moved to the front of the store, the jewels on his neck bouncing on every step. He gave Arthur a nervous stare and locked the door behind them. Though it was still before opening hours, Geoffrey didn't want to take any chances. He connected the velvet rope from one pole to the other blocking the door.

"I hope you didn't walk all the way here in that." Geoffrey asked Balinor, staring at the bloodied and tattered clothes.

Balinor looked down at his wardrobe as if noticing it for the first time and frowned deeper. "Did you find the book? What was so important that you had to have us come right away?"

"Well here is the thing, it's a bit tricky." Geoffrey said sticking his hand behind the counter and pulling out a clean set of clothes that matched the ones Balinor was wearing. "You might want to change first. What I am about to show you doesn't react nicely to unkempt things."

The sorcerer remained silent. Geoffrey pointed a finger to the far right side of the store. Balinor made his way to the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later wearing a clean version of the same clothes he had been wearing, a brand new coat and all. Geoffrey led them to the third floor.

"Come this way."

He stopped in front of a table that was clutter free, books were neatly stacked near its legs and all around it, but the top remained empty except for a box. The black exterior was plain from afar, but when they got closer Merlin could make a slim border of gold around its edges. An elegant golden clamp held the box shut and three small round jewels, red, blue, and green, lay in the center of its lid.

"I was cleaning up after the mess with the Manticore and had already swept through this area. But this morning when I came up stairs there was this." Geoffrey said. When the box remained shut, he cleared his throat and gave it a gentle tap. Still nothing happened.

"Geoffrey?" Balinor snapped. "You make that thing open or I will blast it open. I have no objection in turning it into splinters of wood." At his statement the box creaked and the lid flew open to show a black sphere resting neatly inside.

"It has been vibrating every few minutes knocking down my books. That's why I cleared them away and stuck it in the box. This little fellow repels magic from the inside, not so much from its exterior though."

"What is it?" Merlin asked coming closer.

"What the box or the sphere?" Geoffrey asked, finally happy to share his extensive knowledge of historical artifacts.

"The box is a gift given to King Uther, I took it to spite him when he banished me from Camelot." Geoffrey shamefully admitted, it probably wasn't a good idea to tell the King's son that but he had no intention of going back.

"The sphere Geoffrey," Balinor said, his patience running thin.

"I don't know I've never seen anything like it. That is why I called you." Geoffrey said moving to the shelf and taking a book down. "But here I found a book that might help us determine what it is and what it does." He opened it to a section and tilted it so Balinor could have a better view of it.

Arthur stared at the sphere, it was made of glass, yet it looked thicker. He looked over to Balinor and Geoffrey. Merlin could feel a pull coming from the ball, it made his skin crawl, and he didn't like it. He practically jumped up when his phone rang. He took it out and stared at Will's name on the screen. He sighed and flipped it open. Suddenly he found himself in a dark cave. There were torches burning at every bend, casting shadows to dance against the walls. He looked around, he was wearing the same clothes as in his dreams and he realized he had transported. But to where?

He searched for his phone, it is gone. A sound from one of the crevices snapped his attention back to his surroundings and he moved towards them with caution. He walked into a bigger opening in the cave, the ceiling was wider and there was a small block of rock in the center. Merlin moved towards it, there was a glare on the top of the rock and he saw that the rock was not just a rock but some sort of alter. It caved in to form some sort of a bowl, a pool of water filled it.

In the glare Merlin could see Arthur and Balinor; they were still in the bookstore. They seemed to be searching for something. Arthur's foot stepped on something on the floor and he picked it up. It was Merlin's phone.

"They are looking for you Emrys." A female voice rang through the cave. Merlin looked up and squint his eyes in an attempt to make out the figure hiding under a green cloak.

"My name is not Emrys." Merlin said moving away from the pool of water, his back bumping into the cold rocky wall.

"Emrys is your name Merlin; at least it's your name that the druids call you by." The woman said pulling back her hood to reveal glorious locks of hair. "It's been so long since I last saw you, I am Nimueh."

"What do you want?"

"I want you Merlin, join me. Together our magic would be unstoppable. We could rule all of Camelot and put an end to this anti-magic crusade." Nimueh said stepping closer to Merlin. "We could bring Uther to his knees. What do you say Merlin?"

"I would never join you." Merlin replied he could feel great magic flowing from her, it tasted of death and darkness.

"If you won't join me Merlin then I won't let anyone else have you. Emrys will remain a legend; you will die in this cave." Her eyes turned gold and she extended her hand towards him prepared to kill him.

Merlin felt himself begin to break apart and become transparent. Nimueh screamed and sent a ball of fire towards him. He vanished and the fire connected with the cave wall, sputtering in all directions. Merlin was back in the bookstore. He stumbled back and knocked a stack of books, joining them on the floor. Balinor and Arthur moved towards him. Geoffrey came around a shelf with a hammer.

"I found…..Oh" He said taking notice of Merlin sprawled in the middle of a pool of his books; the sphere a pile of shattered glass on the carpet. "I'll go get the broom." And he went the same way he had come.

"Where did you go?" Arthur asked, beating Balinor to the punch.

"I don't know, I was in a cave and there was a woman there. She said her name was Nimueh." Merlin told him.

"Nimueh…? Did she tell you anything?" Balinor cut in, stepping closer to Merlin and grabbing him by the shoulders, his eyes trying to read him.

"Nothing much, she called me Emrys and wanted me to join her. I told her I wasn't interested and she tried to kill me." Merlin said. "She seemed quite upset that I got away. How did you guys bring me back?"

"Balinor blasted the darn thing." Arthur simple said thinking about how Merlin kept finding himself in serious predicament though he had magic. Merlin looked at the remains of what used to be the sphere and back at Balinor. It was good that he could use his magic; it meant he was fully healed. Merlin smiled at the older man and Arthur frowned, he didn't like it.

"This isn't good she knows where we are." Balinor suddenly spoke up. He took the steps two at a time. "We should get back to your house." He called over his shoulder pausing only enough to allow Merlin and Arthur to follow.

"Why my house...? If she found me here what is to stop her from finding me there?" Merlin asked as they rushed across the bookstore.

"Geoffrey will be back tomorrow keep looking and if you find it call me, you might want to keep that box close to you." Balinor said before they took their leave, making quick haste towards Merlin's house.

xxxxx

Arthur, Merlin, and Balinor didn't waste any time getting to Merlin's house. Balinor kept looking over his shoulder and ahead of them as if expecting Nimueh to appear or something worse. They stood outside his house and Merlin relaxed. Balinor was the first one to reach the stairs, almost leaping over them, and he stood in the porch waiting for Merlin. Arthur was halfway down the sidewalk a few feet ahead of him.

"Balinor wait," Merlin called out. "Can you stop for a minute and…" Whatever Merlin was about to say was lost in thought. He stared with confusion at the little boy standing in from of him. Where had he come from? It was the little boy from the park. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?" Merlin looked around. He tried to go around him but the boy just kept stepping in front of him blocking his path to the house.

"Merlin, get away from him." Balinor shouted the fear in his voice had Merlin backing away from the little boy.

Merlin gasped as the little boy's eyes turned dark red, the same color as his hair. A sneer crossed the boy's lips and he jumped at Merlin knocking him off balance. They fell to the curb and Merlin smacked his head on the pavement, his vision blurred for a moment. The little boy threw his head back and a vicious growl escaped his small lips. He tightened his grasp on Merlin's shirt and his body started to transform. Merlin struggled to set himself free as the weight on top of him increased, threatening to crush his ribs.

A swirl of wind knocked the boy off Merlin and Arthur moved to help Merlin to his feet. Hideous screeching sliced through the air, radiating off the trees as the little boy's back snapped, his bones crunched and extended. Hair grew and crawled over his body to form a fur coat, his arms and legs split open, the sluggish skin melted to reform as huge paws.

Huge claws flexed from each paw and dug into the ground. Black wings sprung from its back, expanding and then contracting to rest against its lion body. The last thing to form was its scaled tail it resembled that of a scorpion but the same size as its body. The Manticore stretched to its full size and moved towards them.

"Merlin, go inside now." Balinor ordered stepping down the steps and making his way to the beast.

Arthur led Merlin up the stairs and into the house. "Wait, Balinor we can't leave him to fight it alone. He could die." Merlin protested trying to get back out. The prince didn't budge and he pushed Merlin further into the house.

"You will stay here." Arthur said before rushing up the stairs to Merlin's room.

He rummaged through Merlin's closet, tossing shoes and boxes all over the floor. His fingers scrapped against his bag and he reached inside it. Arthur ran back down with his sword in hand. He ran past Merlin, giving him one last look that said for him to not move an inch, and towards the Manticore.

The Manticore swung its tail and smacked Arthur off his feet, the prince fell to the ground. His sword got knocked out of his hand in the process and he quickly got to his feet and rushed for it. The Manticore blocked his path and swung one of its massive sharp claws at Arthur cutting into his chest. Arthur moved back avoiding another swing of its paw. Merlin forgot about his own safety and ran to his side.

Balinor cast a spell, a bolt of light shot out from the tips of his fingers and hit the creature, a direct hit to its side. The creature yelled in pain as the bright light cut into its flesh, droplets of blood soaking into the grass. It swung its tail at Balinor and directed its attacks on him, when it was unable to land a blow it changed tactics. It hovered a few inches from the ground, its wings flapping gaining momentum, before it charged.

Balinor dodged the beat rolling a few feet away but missing getting out of the way of its claw as it came around. The sharp nails dug into his shoulder and lifted him off the ground sending him flying towards a tree. The Manticore dug its claw into Balinor again, pinning him to the tree. Merlin rushed over to the older man, pulling at the claw trying to dislodge it.

"Merlin, don't be foolish get away." Balinor said as he coughed up blood, his hands let go of the claw and pushed at Merlin's chest. "Get inside the house, the barrier it will…" His coughs got louder and stronger.

"I won't let you die." Merlin said tugging harder at the claws and managing to retract one.

The Manticore laughed, "Two humans for the price of one." Its voice rang out mocking the scene in front of it. "In such a hurry to die, I will not make you wait any longer." It lowered its head, its jaw opened to reveal its massive teeth. It bit into the flesh and let out a cry.

"No. Arthur..." Merlin cried out as he turned around to see the prince caught in the beast's teeth.

Arthur forced his body to move, he pushed the sword deeper into the creature's chest. Blood dripped down his shoulder and to the ground in large amounts, mixing with the manticore's blood. He could feel the sensation in his arms slipping, but he pushed on. The creature's jaws tightened the further the sword went. Arthur's legs buckled under him and he fell to his knees. The Manticore let go of its deadly grip and stumbled around smacking into an invisible wall around Merlin's house.

Arthur grabbed his injury and staggered to his feet still unwilling to move away from Balinor and Merlin. The Manticore managed to set the sword free and it clanged to the ground before the creature flew off into the sky. It was seriously hurt but still alive; Arthur's sword had missed its heart.

"No!" Balinor screamed as he pulled himself up using the tree as support. Merlin fell to the ground, the black marks covering his entire body.

Balinor caught a glimpse of Kilgharrah on the tree branch above him and he picked up Merlin. He rushed into the house and set him on his bed. Arthur followed him close behind clinging to his wound. He gave Arthur a quick glance and stepped towards him. He set his hand on Arthur's cut.

"Balinor what are you doing?"

"_Licsar ge staðol nu" _His eyes flashed gold and the spell was cast. He didn't wait for the healing to finish, he hurried to the door. "Stay with him and don't leave the house." He called over his shoulder and was out the house and gone before Arthur could say anything.

The prince looked down at his shoulder and then at Merlin. His eyes darkened and his face contorted as he tried to understand what his relation with Merlin truly meant, not just to him but to Camelot. Balinor was right, it was foolish of him to be with Merlin, but he couldn't see himself without the idiot. Especially now, there was no denying his feelings. The thought that Merlin might die was enough to snap him to full awareness, he would fight to keep Merlin even if it meant fighting his father.

xxxxx

Balinor ran into an alley way. He set the final spell to activate the trap and the barrier went up. An invisible shield encompassed the whole alleyway including the Manticore and a few layers of the nearby buildings. Kilgharrah jumped off his shoulder and rushed towards the red beast. The lizard evaded its huge claws and tail, waiting until he could get closer.

The Manticore let out a roar and climbed the wall, taking chunks of brick with him. Balinor directed his magic at it, _"Cume her fyrbryne"_ and a trail of fire ran up the building to singe the edges of the beast's fur. He cursed and moved further into the alley way as the Manticore smacked into the top part of the barrier and fell back down.

"_Bregdan_" He sent a rusted piece of pipe lying near the dumpster towards it. A blue light encircled it and slammed into chest of the beast. The Manticore tumbled against the walls of the alleyway, struggling to keep upright, its cries causing the staircases above rattle.

"Now Kilgharrah" Balinor yelled falling to his knees completely drained of all his magic.

The lizard was behind the Manticore; his shadow against the back wall changed and grew to reflect that of a dragon. His eyes flashed gold and Kilgharrah took his true form. He let out a huge roar and extended his wings. In one swift movement the great dragon had his jaws clasped around the manticore's neck. His teeth sang into the fur and flesh, cutting through muscle.

Gushes of blood spilled into the pavement, the Manticore struggled to set itself free but only managed to sink itself deeper into the deadly grip. Kilgharrah tossed his head sideways and up, sinking a claw into the stomach of its prey and tearing it in two. He spat the front half back to the ground and moved towards Balinor crushing the remains under its weight. The dragon slowly started to shrink; his scales turned a green color. His wings sank into his back and his powerful jaw and claws disappeared. He climbed up Balinor's coat a fully normal looking lizard.

"Let's get you to Merlin; you've been away from a magical source for far too long." Balinor stated, stepping back into the sidewalk just as the barrier fell to reveal an untouched alleyway, the body of the Manticore only a pile of fur and blood.


	11. The Calm before the storm

Chapter Ten: The Calm before the storm

Arthur moved from the window and sat on the bed. He stared at Merlin and watched the markings disappear. The Manticore was dead and Merlin was saved. He ran a hand across the young warlock's face and quickly retreat it when Merlin started to stir.

"Balinor," Merlin called out to Arthur confusing him for the older man. His sight improved and he looked around his room. "Where is he?"

"Balinor went after the Manticore." Arthur told him.

"But he will be killed." Merlin cried out. He got to his feet and moved to the door.

Arthur stepped in front of him blocking his way. "Wait Merlin Balinor is fine."

"How could you let him go by himself?"

"I really didn't have a choice. When the Manticore attacked you the first time it injected a deadly poison into your body. It had to be killed within four days or the poison would have killed you." Arthur explained, pulling Merlin into his arms. "I wanted to help but I don't have magic like you both. All I got is my sword and so far that hasn't been of much use."

Merlin tensed at the mention of magic. He pulled out of his embrace. "You know about my magic."

"Balinor told me when we were at Geoffrey's place. It kind of slipped out in a moment of anger." Arthur said rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not a big deal Merlin. It still hasn't completely sunk in, but I can deal with it in my own time. Right now I am glad you're ok."

Before Merlin could say anything, Will walked in. "Hey you left your door unlocked so I let myself in."

"Hey what's going on here? Your yard is a mess, well at least half of it."

Merlin moved back to his bed, suddenly in need of it. So many things were happening and it was getting hard for him to process them. He was worried about Balinor, he hadn't seen his lizard for a while now, Arthur knew about his magic, and Will had just picked the worst time to come for a visit. He sighed and looked at his friend with no clue how to begin his weird and unbelievable tale.

Kilgharrah slips in-between Will's legs making him jumped back and bump right into Balinor. The lizard continues his climb up the bed to lie on Merlin's lab. Its eyes change from yellow green to pure gold for a split second its shadow transforms into one of a huge dragon. Everyone except Balinor stare at the shadow with mouths gaped open.

Arthur turns around to look at Balinor.

"Now you know what happened to the last dragon. He got pulled into this world with me and has been trapped here for the last eighteen years." Balinor said. "This world is void of magic and Kilgharrah is pure magic being here is slowly draining him of his magic. Pretty soon he will stop to exist. That is the true reason I send him to you Merlin. For some reason your magic doesn't drain, this world has the opposite effect on you. You're able to spread your magic to others of magic, keeping them alive."

Merlin reached for Kilgharrah and raised him to his eyes. "A dragon, who would have thought I would have a dragon as a pet." He smiled when Kilgharrah stuck his tongue out, his way of protesting being called a pet, and set him down on his bed.

Balinor stumbled against the doorframe, his wounds reopening. "I didn't have enough magic to finish the spell properly." He dropped down to the carpet, some of his blood soaking into the carpet. Merlin rushed over to him and tried to heal him. He was having a hard time with the spell, but in the third try he managed to pronounce the words correctly. Balinor's wounds healed and he could feel a small hint of magic coursing through his body.

"Wait a minute if you both are wizards or something of the sort and the lizard is really a dragon, what does that make you?" Will asked Arthur making the prince frown even more.

"I'm the prince of Camelot." Arthur replied walking past him and heading downstairs. He was in no mood to deal with Merlin's strange and over protective friend. Balinor was enough of both things.

"He is a prince?" Will asked pointing at the now empty doorway. "A real prince, like royalty and all that?"

"Of everything you just heard, you ask about that?" Merlin says.

"He doesn't look like a prince. Where's his armor and sword?"

"Will,"

"What? You having magic, it's cool. You really aren't going crazy and now you don't have to take those horrible pills. I'm happy for you, but I can't say I like him even if he is a prince."

"He isn't that bad, once you get used to him." Merlin said between strained lips. Will was being a real jerk and that was a rarity for him at least when it came to Merlin and his points of interest.

"I don't want to get to know him. So what they hunted you down so you could help them return home or something?" Will said hitting the nail right on its head.

Merlin jerked up. "The book," He rubbed at the corners of his forehead trying to remember something about it. "I think I found it."

"Where? When" Balinor leaned on the wall and carefully stood back up.

"It was sitting on a table near the entrance. At first I had found it at the back of the first floor, but I dropped it when the Manticore attacked me." Merlin explained. "It had a thick spine and a brown cover."

"We need to go back." Balinor said.

"I can take you I brought my mother's car." Will offered jiggling the keys in his fingers.

xxxxx

Geoffrey was still in his shop and it didn't take them long to find the book Merlin was referring to. It still lay in the same spot he had left it. The book was very thick and large, it contained many spells, images, and information on just about anything magic related.

"How will you know which spell it is?" Will asked.

Merlin closed his eyes and let the book reach out to him. He opened his eyes and they flashed gold. The book opened and flipped over to a section.

"That is wicked, can you do that again?" Will said in excitement.

"Now is not the time Will. We are on borrowed time." Balinor said. Arthur just rolled his eyes at Will's comment, a small part of him agreeing with him.

Merlin handed the book to Balinor and he and will stared over the opposite end of the book. The section the book had opened to talked about the alignment of the moon, full moon, and the two types of eclipses. Balinor skim read through it and stopped at a paragraph.

"If a full moon has already passed, a total Solar Eclipse could be used with a few modifications to the spell."

"The full moon happens once a month, a Lunar Eclipse every 6 months, and a solar eclipse follows it shortly after." Will stated. "The Lunar Eclipse passed a few days ago so that means you guys only have a few days before the solar eclipse passes. If you miss it you will have to wait half a year to a year and that is if you're lucky it happens to be a total eclipse at all.

Merlin, Arthur, and Balinor stared at Will. "What? My dad has tons of books on these things at home."

"You read?" Merlin mocked giving his friend a friendly push.

"Ha-ha very funny Merlin."

xxxxx

With book in hand they made their way back to Merlin's house. Will got a call from his dad and had to leave, which also meant they lost their means of transportation. Merlin found enough cab fare for a ride several blocks down, cutting their walking time almost in half.

As the house got into view, Merlin could make out a figure standing at the bottom of the steps. He quickly picked up the pace and stopped at the entryway.

"Mom?" Merlin asked, staring aback at Arthur and Balinor.

"Hi sweetie I was halfway through the contract discussion when I found out I had left some very important documents behind." His mother said. "I still managed to seal the deal as long as I faxed them those sheets in the next 5 days.

Balinor and Arthur stop next to Merlin and Laura's face fills with undiluted anger. "Balinor"

The sorcerer was too late and found himself trapped. "Laura"

Merlin looked from his mother to Balinor. "You two know each other?" He asks thinking they must have met when Balinor had let his mother take Kilgharrah.

"No"

"Yes"

"Mom?"

"Merlin, don't ask questions. Just get inside and let me talk with him." She said, the tone in her voice telling him that she was really pissed. He shot Balinor a final "good luck" glance and went inside with Arthur.

"Why are you here Balinor?" Laura said. "You gave up that right when you let me keep Merlin."

"I came to take him back, he needs to come home." Balinor told her, grabbing her arm and taking her further up the walkway. "You don't understand the whole situation. Back then I didn't tell you the whole story."

"No I don't want to hear it, Merlin is your son but he is mine too. I won't let you take him from me." Laura shook his hand off her arm and turned to go back into the house. She froze; Merlin stood in the doorway a broken glass near his feet.

"Merlin" Laura cried out to him, tears filling her eyes and streaming down her face at the realization that she had just blown her only secret she had kept from him.

Merlin tuned around and caught the look Arthur gave him, the same look people gave him when they felt sorry for him. "You knew." He ran past Arthur and up the stairs. He locked himself in his room and threw himself on the bed. His mother's words banged at the back of his head, Balinor was his father. All this time he had lied to him, kept that from him.

Laura knocked on the door. "Merlin, please open the door let me explain."

Merlin didn't budge; he hid his head under his pillow and let his magic loose. His bookshelf shook, books fell to the ground, and the rumbling spread throughout the entire room rattling the window.

"Merlin, you have to let me explain." She said again. Balinor moved behind her and set a hand on her shoulder. She stepped away and let him give it a try.

"Son," Merlin tensed at the word. "Nimueh took you from me and your mother Hunith and brought you to this world. I followed in hopes to get you back." Balinor waited to see if Merlin would say anything.

He looked at Laura and then back to the door. "By the time I got to you, we were trapped here. Laura found you and took you in. I tried to convince myself that I was doing what was best for you. I had no idea how to raise you and she had agreed to let me take you back when you turned eighteen."

Merlin removed his pillow from over his head and sat up on the bed. He looked at the door and then at his room. "Why did you let me believe I was going insane? Why did you let them make me take all those pills? You knew I had magic and yet you stood by and did nothing." His anger made his lose control on his magic and the door shook violently.

"I don't want to see you or Arthur, leave me alone." Merlin yelled causing the door to rattle again this time with more force. It cracked straight down the middle but not deep enough to split the door in half.

Merlin lay back on his bed and curled on his side hugging his pillow. Kilgharrah moved towards him and stared at him. "You can go with him if you want; you probably were using me too huh?"

"Never was my intention to do so young warlock, I only didn't want to see the last of my race die in a magic less world like this." His small eyes shinned brightly as if they held a secret bigger and more life changing than the one he had just found out about. He scurried off across the room and under the door.

Balinor leaves with Arthur with the promise of coming back the next day. Merlin continued to ignore him, letting his hurt fill him up and drown out the rest of his emotions. Hours later and he was still in the same position he had been. A soft knock snaps him from his thoughts and he waits.

"I know you're mad at me too and you have every reason to be but I had no idea about your magic or of what was really happening to you. I never once told Balinor about it. I kind of stayed away from him and refused to see him when he would stop by the house." Laura sighed and shifted her feet resting her head against the door. "I don't want you to think everyone is out to get you Merlin, I've made some very bad mistakes, selfish mistakes, and I didn't want to lose you."

Laura sniffed and moved away from the door. "Balinor told me all about your home world and," She breathed trying to fight back the tears. "I think helping Arthur and Balinor return home is the reason why you got those gifts and you should do what makes you feel more like yourself."

Merlin wiped at his tears and moved to the door. He opened it and caught his mother in a hug. She broke down as soon as his arms wrapped around her small frame. "Oh Merlin, I am so sorry I caused you so much pain."

xxxxx

Balinor knocked over the alarm clock threatening to bust his eardrums. He opened his eyes and moved to his guest room. He pulled the blankets off Arthur leaving him on a bare bed cushion and then moved to the window and pulled the curtains apart letting in an immense amount of sunlight. Arthur moaned and turned over, his back to the window.

"Get up Arthur before I decide your no good for my son and transport you to a forgotten city somewhere." Balinor threatened; letting the prince still think he had all of his magic. He could only do a few healing spells with the help of herbs and a several minor spells. Even with Merlin's healing spell it had not been enough to spike his magic back up. Unless he returned to Camelot in the next few days his entire magic would be taken away.

Arthur moaned and moved further to the edge to fall off it. He quickly rose to his feet and looked around. He groggily moved to the bathroom to take a shower. Balinor went to his own bathroom to do the same thing. A short breakfast of slightly burned toast and a cup of milk, which Arthur completely refused to eat, had Balinor and Arthur in a cab traveling to Merlin's house.

Laura greeted them and let them in. "Merlin will be down in a minute. Are you hungry?"

"No I am fine, had breakfast, Arthur just moped the whole night and the whole morning. Refuses to do anything really, even pick up after himself." Arthur shot him a death glare and politely rejected Laura's offer for food.

"That is Arthur alright." Merlin said from the stairs. He moved into the living room. "Ready?"

"Merlin you know you will get pulled in right along with us. You won't be able to come back. Not unless we get our hands on another amulet like the one Nimueh used." Balinor explained as he and Arthur got up and made their way outside.

"Yes I know mother and I talked about it last night before I called you up."

xxxxx

The park was secluded due to construction on an additional bridge. The city had put in a request after the great success the park had gotten on opening day. The time of the solar eclipse arrived and Merlin moved to the lake, Balinor had insisted that the spell be cast there because that is where the area between both worlds was the thinnest.

Will came running towards them. "Wait, I'm not late am I?" He stated failing to see the point of his question with Merlin, Arthur, and Balinor standing in front of him.

The sun got blocked out; it appears almost like a dark black ring with hints of red and yellow shooting out against its edge. Merlin moved up the bridge, his companions close behind him. It was so dark, their voices the only thing telling them where the other was.

"_Portes glídan árásae!"_ Merlin chanted. His eyes turned gold and great amounts of water splashed upwards and surrounded them on either side of the bridge. Everything started to feel light, the bridge melted away and soft ground replaced it.

Merlin felt something pull him back and found himself back in the park. He was thrown off the bridge. His body hits solid ground and Merlin stared at the sky as it regained its normal daylight.

"No!"

He was back at the park, his mother and Will rushed to get him up. Merlin glanced around the park but Arthur, Balinor, and Kilgharrah were gone. In their place stood a woman wearing a green cloak, her hood was pulled back showing her face.

"Emrys, why the rush to leave?"

"Nimueh" Merlin moved back keeping himself between his mother and the sorcerers.

Nimueh's lips curled up in an evil smirk. "You should have taken my offer." She looked at him with golden eyes. "Now I have no choice but to kill you and everything you love. I think I will have the most fun killing the prince. But for now I think your fake mother and friend will suffice."

Laura let out a scream; she was tossed into the air and landed hard on the ground a few feet from where she had been standing. Will fell to his knees and clung to his neck unable to breath. He gasped desperately for air, his lungs ached as they expanded and contracted.

"Stop it" Merlin shouted, his own eyes turning gold and sending Nimueh to the other end of the bridge. She lost her concentration and her enchantment broke.

Will breathed in a huge gulp of air and rested his forehead on the grass to stop the spinning in his head. Merlin rushed to Will's side and helped him to his feet. His eyes traveled to where his mother lay unmoving and his heart sank. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"Don't worry, I haven't killed her yet. Don't want to ruin the fun just yet." Nimueh teased making her way back over the bridge and to their side of the lake.

Merlin brought his hand up. _"Forbærne! Ácwele!"_ A fire balls shot from his hand towards Nimueh. She caught it in her hand and deflected it.

"It will take more than a little fire to beat me." She cast the same spell and sent a fire ball towards Will. Merlin pushed him away from it and it hit him in the arm. He fell to the ground from the impact.

"Merlin" Will screamed getting on his feet and running back to the young warlock. He was sent flying in the same direction as Laura and was unconscious before he even hit the ground.


	12. Fate and Magic Collide

Chapter Eleven: Fate and Magic Collide

"No" Merlin cried out holding onto his arm.

"Ástríce!" A shot of light hit Merlin in the chest and his body arched in pain. Again Nimueh sent a blast of light, followed by another and another moving each time closer to him.

Merlin struggled to his side, each hit causing his body to shake even more. His head felt like it had been split in two. He dug his fingers into the grass and pushed himself up only to fall back down when yet another blast hit him in the back.

"I expected more of a fight. Do you care so little about what happens to you Emrys?" Nimueh spat, stopping right on top of him. She grabbed him from the collar of his shirt and partly lifted him towards her. "It really is a shame, such a waste. We could have brought Camelot crumbling down to its last stone."

"My name is Merlin."

Nimueh let go of Merlin and shrieked as the edges of her cloak caught on fire. She put the fire out with her magic and grabbed him by the ankle, an evil laugh escaping her lips. Merlin kicked her in the face and scrambled to his feet. He rushed towards Laura and Will kneeling down next them. He flipped Laura over and then Will, their eyes were still shut but their breathing was steady.

"If you love them so much then burn with them." Nimueh extended her hand, bringing it back towards her and then at Merlin's direction. _"Forbearnan."_

"_Scildan!" _A blue sphere formed around Merlin, spreading out, blocking the fire, and extinguishing the ring of flames that had formed around them.

Laura stirred and sat up. She looked at her son with both fear and worry. His clothes were tattered beyond recognition. The ground beneath them started to shake and crumble. Merlin lost his hold on the shield and the trembling stopped. His mother rose to her feet tugging at the still unconscious Will, moving him away from the cracked earth.

Will opened his eyes and stumbled to his feet. He looked around and his eyes fell on Nimueh. The sorceress was unmoving; her arm lay at her side limp, the flesh on her hand completely burned. Suddenly her eyes changed color and Will felt an immense pressure against his arm. The bone snapped and he clung to it, stumbling against Merlin. Laura screamed as her fingers bent the wrong direction. She fell back to the ground, tears running down her cheeks as she looked back towards the sorceress and saw her eyes turn back to their original color.

Her hand had already started to swell, her skin turning purple where some of the bones had given under the force. She gasped in fear as Nimueh started to cast another spell at her. A black shadow formed under her feet, her body was too weak from the pain to allow her to rise. She closes her eyes and braced herself.

A shriek, not human and not from anything of this world, filled her eardrums and her eyes flew open. Blue fire danced under her feet and flickered against her skin. Her skin remained unaffected by it, but the shadow underneath her withered and turned to ash. The fire transformed to form a shield once more and it spread to include Will in it. Laura turned to her son and smiled weakly at him, slowly getting back on her feet.

Merlin gathered the magic in him to casts one final spell; he could feel his body start to give way. He raised his hand towards the sky. Dark clouds appeared, flashes of light danced in them and Merlin lowered his hand to Nimueh. A ray of lighting shot down from the sky and hit her, her body vibrated and blew apart to become dust. Merlin fell to the ground and the shield flickering before disappearing completely.

"Merlin," Laura ran towards him, falling to the grass next to him. "Stay with me Merlin, Merlin..._Merlin_."

"I think we should go to the hospital now." He whispered forcing a smile and then giving in to the darkness.

Laura breathed in relief and rested her head on her son's shoulder. "Yes that would be nice."

xxxxx

_Two weeks later_

Merlin and Laura were sitting around the kitchen table having dinner when Geoffrey stopped by. He had called ahead of time to let them know he was coming, so it wasn't quite unexpected. Laura set another plate on the table in front of the elderly man.

"This really isn't necessary Laura; I just came by to drop something off for Merlin."

"Nonsense, eat up. Merlin doesn't mind waiting." Laura cheerful replied, "Right Merlin." She said sitting back down and tugging at her cast slipping a finger in-between the material and her hand. It itched to no end.

"She refuses to let me heal her." Merlin flatly stated, completely annoyed by it, and sidestepping the actual question.

Geoffrey looked at Merlin and then gave in when he was given another reassured smile from Laura. The meal went by with not much being exchanged besides small talk here and there. They talked, well Merlin mainly listened to them talk about the weather, how Geoffrey had finally finished organizing his bookstore, and anything else that didn't relate to Prince Arthur and Camelot.

With the plates washed and put away, all three moved into the living room. Geoffrey was the first to break the silence. He handed Merlin a golden amulet and Merlin almost jumped out of his seat.

"This is…." Merlin gasped, turning the amulet over in his hands.

"Nimueh's amulet," Geoffrey finished for him. "Someone stopped by my shop yesterday wanting to get its historical background. They claimed they found it at the park. I managed to coax them into selling it to me, of course after I convinced them it was a cheap knock off." He paused for a moment, unsure on quite how to phrase the next part.

"Merlin with this you don't have to wait for the next Lunar or Solar Eclipse. You can go to Camelot right now." Geoffrey stated, finally reaching the reason for his urgent visit and the thought that was on everyone's mind.

Merlin stared at the amulet; his fingers grazed the cold metal and golden jewel resting in its center. "Mom?" He looked up at Laura with a mixture of emotions showing in his eyes.

"It's what you've been trying to do ever since you returned Arthur and Balinor home." Laura smiled at him, knowing the sadness and emptiness that was to follow her after today but refusing to let her son see it. "You should go."

"Just be careful with it Merlin. It's one of the few remaining magical objects created by the high priestess of the old religion; many sorcerers have died in trying to get their hands on it." Geoffrey warned. "Once you get to Camelot you must promise to destroy it or put it somewhere where no one can get it."

Merlin reassured him that he would and rushed to his room. He packed the few things he wanted to take with him, his drawing pad, Laura's picture, a few books, and anything that wouldn't stand out too much. Fully packed and ready Merlin returned down stairs. Geoffrey took his leave saying his final goodbyes to Merlin.

"You should call Will, I am sure he would like to see you off."

He reached for his cellphone and dialed his friend's number. Will answered after the first ring; he must have been waiting by the phone in case he called. He cleared his throat and broke the news to his friend. For a long moment there was only silence and Merlin stared at his mother for moral support. He was breaking their hearts and leaving them behind. It was not a decision he had come to lightly.

"I think you better give Arthur a kick in the ass for me and it better be a good one not one of your pansy poor excuse for a kick." Will said and Merlin found himself holding back a laugh. They talked for a few minutes before they hung up.

"He agreed to meet us at the park." Merlin informed his mother as he set the cellphone on the counter. He couldn't take it, it was too conspicuous and Merlin had no idea if it would even work or not.

Laura called a taxi for them and they wasted no time in getting to the park. Will took a few minutes to arrive and all three moved towards the lake. Merlin stood at the foot of the bridge and gave his mother one last hug. She took something from her purse and placed it in his hands covering his fingers over it.

"I want you to keep this and remember me." She said, her eyes were watery and her voice was shaky. "It was something that caught my eye when I was on my business trip. I got it for you but in all the commotion forgot to give it to you."

Merlin looked at the necklace; a blue stone wrapped in wire and then weaved into a leather strap. "It's beautiful." He kissed his mother on the cheek and stuck it in his bag.

Will hugged him and shoved a small bundle into his hands. "It's not as girly as your mother's present. But take it anyways."

He untied the thin cloth and stared down at the wooden carved box. Uncapping it he saw that there was an assortment of charcoal sticks, they differed in size and thickness.

"Thank you Will." He carefully placed it inside his bag and moved towards the bridge.

Taking one final glance towards his mother and friend, the young warlock closed his eyes, clasped the amulet tightly, and concentrated. Once he had the words in his mind he opened his eyes slowly and recast the spell that would send him home.

As the gold faded from his eyes the water splashed upwards on both sides of the bridge, droplets of water splashing against his face. Merlin could feel the magic swirling around him then nothing but stillness encompassed him as everything began to blur. He felt the ground shift and he found himself standing in a field of wild flowers, the grass gently grazing against his clothes and the world he knew was gone.

He was back in Camelot; the spell had worked. The thought of his mother and Will back in the park stirred his heavy heart, but their words echo in his mind and he moved into the woods in the direction of Arthur. Merlin walked for hours, night turned into day providing him a clearer path in the trees and he stopped at the edge of the woods to stare at the beautiful towers peaking against the tree tops, red flags waving wildly in the air.

The young warlock quickly picked up his pace; he stumbled through the main gate and made his way through the lower towns towards the castle. Before he reached the castle Merlin found himself once more turning around to admire the lively people in the market place and what he could see of the castle. This world was so different from the one he had grown up in.

Arthur stood looking down at his people from atop one of the castle walls when a familiar tall slim figure caught his attention. The young prince leaned against the edge; his gloved hand grasped the stone construction tightly. A grin crossed his lips and he ran back into the castle, quickly making his way down, passed the courtyard, and to the marketplace.

He halted as he reached the spot where he had last seen Merlin; he looked frantically around trying to catch a glimpse of his raven short hair or blue eyes and felt doubt start to form in his heart. Had he imagined seeing him again? Arthur ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

"I see that you haven't missed me at all." Merlin said behind him, a sheepish smile on his face.

Arthur turned around and brought his arms around his lover, hugging the warm body that had never been able to leave his thoughts. People stopped to stare at their prince and Merlin. Arthur quickly released Merlin and cleared his throat. He dragged the still red cheeked Merlin towards the castle, holding back what he wanted to say and do to him until they were in the safety of the castle.

Once they were in an empty corridor he pushed Merlin against a wall and pressed his body greedily against his. "I've missed you more than you could possibly imagine." Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear, lovingly nibbling the soft skin under it. They he kissed him, it was intense and Merlin could feel himself melting against Arthur's touch.

A noise at the end of the corridor had them jerking apart. A guard came into view and walked past them before turning the corner. Arthur looked back at Merlin and scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed at almost being caught.

"There is someone you must see." The prince said, taking Merlin's hand and leading him the opposite direction the guard had gone.

xxxxx

Arthur pushed Gaius' door open, without bothering to knock, and walked in. Gaius almost fell off his stool having been given no advance notice of a visitor before he noticed it was only the prince. Merlin quickly stepped in and looked around the room, countless books and potions took up the two tables and desk in the room. The young warlock was reminded of Geoffrey's bookstore.

"Arthur" Gaius said setting down his spoon and moving to shut the door. He glanced at Merlin and back to a door located at the back to the right near his desk.

The door opened and Balinor stepped out holding a bag over his shoulder. "Merlin" He called out as his eyes fell on his son. A smile reached his lips and he moved towards him, setting the bag on an empty stool. "But how..?" He hugged Merlin and then retrieved his bag, swinging it over his shoulder.

"Geoffrey found the amulet Nimueh used. She must have dropped it in our fight." Merlin explained as he handed Balinor the amulet. "I'm supposed to destroy it or make sure no one ever uses it again."

"There is a certain dragon that would be more than happy to help you in that." Balinor said handing the amulet back. "I'm on my way back home, you caught me heading out. Want to come meet your mom?"

Merlin looked at Arthur and then back at his father. "I would like that."

"Then it's settled, I'll wait for you at the edge of the woods. Pack light." Balinor grabbed another bag near the door and left.

xxxxx

Balinor was exactly where he said he would be and soon they were on their way to Ealdor. Merlin shifted on his saddle and pushed his horse forward, already regretting having taken only one class in horseback riding. His mother had tried to get him to hang out with more people and her typical choice had been horseback riding. After he had fallen off a horse when some kids had decided to spook it while he was still on it that had been the end of that.

"You do know how to ride a horse." Arthur commented, moving his horse next to Merlin's.

"Yes, city people do more than just ride cars and bikes." Merlin said, blushing at the unintentional second meaning to his words. The prince caught it and smirked.

A few hours passed before they stopped to let the horses rest. Merlin welcomed the break, his limps ached all over and his legs were all stiff. Once the horses were fed they were back on the trail, keeping at a steady pace and trying to gain as much distance from the castle and themselves. It wasn't until the sun had hidden taking with it most of its light that they stopped to make camp.

Merlin moved to gather wood for the fire while Balinor unsaddled the horses. Arthur had disappeared once he had gotten off his horse. A pair of hands grabbed Merlin by the waist and he spun around in surprise, dropping what he had collected, to only have the prince's lips on his. Arthur pressed Merlin against a tree and slipped his leg in between Merlin's leg.

"Arthur" Merlin gasped, breaking the kiss and pushing on Arthur's chest. "My father will see us."

A twig snapped somewhere behind the tree Merlin was pressed against to support his claim and Arthur had no choice but to let his prey go. He stepped back and around the tree.

"Balinor" Arthur greeted, his composure showing no hints at what he had just been doing.

"Arthur"

Merlin banged his head on the tree and slowly moved away from it. He walked around it and headed for camp, looking down at the ground to hide the blush on his cheeks. Balinor followed both of them with his eyes and moved to pick up the pile of wood Merlin had dropped.

xxxxx

The next day, Merlin spent his entire time avoiding both Arthur and Balinor's stare. His face was glued to the woods in front of him. He was grateful that Balinor wasn't much of a talker but Arthur kept trying to rile him up. The lack of feeling to his bottoms helped him evade most of the prince's attempts.

"That is Ealdor." Balinor said, pointing past the hill's edge to the tips of houses that could be seen in the distance. "We should be there by midday."

Merlin paused at the edge of the hill to stare at the village. Trees surrounded it on all sides and beautiful mountains served as its backdrop. Merlin could make out smoke coming out of some of the houses. He guided his horse back to the trail and sped up to catch up with Arthur and Balinor who were in the middle of a conversation.

"If we explain to my father what happened to you he will understand and see that he is wrong." Arthur argued pulling back the reins on his horse to keep him at the same pace with Balinor's.

"Do you really believe your father will stop? Your father has lost himself in his crazy notions against anything related to magic. If I reveal myself to him it will surely be my death and that of everyone I love." Balinor angrily stated standing by his decision.

"My father is a good King; he will do what is best for his people."

"I will not see King Uther and that is the end of it boy."

The conversation was dropped after that and the rest of the trip was spent in silence. The woods came to an end and the trees were replaced with fields of corn, rice, and vegetation. People were busy about collecting herbs, flowers, and conversing among themselves. Merlin could feel himself starting to get nervous. What would his birth mother be like? Would she find him adequate? Or would she find him strange?

"He is back," A little boy who looked to be no older than seven spotted them and ran off towards a set of houses connected by wooden fences.

Balinor stops in front of a house and dismounts. He waits for Merlin and Arthur to do the same before leading the horses to the side and handing them to the same little boy who had announced their arrival. He tossed a few coins from his side pocket and moved back to the entrance of the house.

"This is our house Merlin." Balinor said beckoning him to get closer. "And this is my wife, your mom, Hunith." He added when the door opened to allow a woman with fair brown hair through.

"Merlin" Hunith greeted her son, taking him into her embrace and kissing the side of his cheek. "And you must be Prince Arthur; you are welcome in our house anytime." She smiled warmly, grasping Merlin's arm and leading him inside.

"He is very handsome my son, a good match for you." Merlin could feel his ears turning beet red. "Your father filled me in on what happened while you both were in the other world." Hunith whispered into his ear before giving his arm a supportive squeeze and then making her way to the pot over the fire.

"How long will you be staying?"

"Just one night," Arthur answered for Merlin. "We will be returning to Camelot in the morning." His tone of voice left no room for debating and Merlin found himself agreeing with the prince.

Food was served, beef stew and bread. Balinor gulped it down in one go and stepped outside mumbling something about checking on the horses. Arthur barely touched his and Merlin was halfway through his when a nudge to his side had him spilling the rest on the floor. He shot Arthur a questioning look.

"Are you really going to eat that?" Arthur said loud enough for only Merlin's ears.

"That was the plan." Merlin said moving to help Hunith with cleaning it up. He sat back down and stared at his not so empty bowl.

Arthur fought back the smile creeping up at the corner of his lips and he thanked Merlin's mom for the food. He spent the remaining minutes it took Merlin to eat the rest of the stew looking around the room and trying to look interested. The house was small and simple, it only had two rooms. One served as the bedroom while the kitchen, dining area, and sitting room took up the room they were currently in. Arthur couldn't help but wonder where they would be sleeping.

It wasn't long before he found out. He stared at the straw bed barely large enough to fit two and his eyebrows shot up. "You can't be serious."

"You're the one who wanted to come along." Merlin teased setting his things on the corner of the room and sitting on the bed.

xxxxx

At the first stroke of daylight Arthur and Merlin galloped back towards Camelot with the promise that Balinor would take the amulet to Kilgharrah to be destroyed so that no one else could use it again. Arthur had accepted his decision in staying hidden from Uther. He had to admit his father was a very suborn king and deep down he knew his father would not accept magic even with the last dragon back. Merlin moaned, discomfort ridden all over his face as he shifted on his saddle.

"Stop being such a girl _Merlin_," Arthur teased as he brought his horse to a halt, a grin on his face. Merlin rolled his eyes at his prince and moved past him.

"Not everyone can have as much meat on their bones as you sire!" Merlin teased back.

"I am not fat!" Arthur stated his horse now at the same pace as Merlin's. "You of all people should know that." He concluded, his eyebrows shooting up in a playful manner hinting at the love making they had shared. A laugh escaped his lips as Merlin's cheeks turned red at the mentioning of it.

The trip back took less time and a few hours before midday of the following day the main gates of Camelot came into view. Arthur and Merlin galloped at a much slower pace the rest of the way and dismounted when they reached the courtyard. A guard met them and informed Arthur that King Uther required his presence.

"Leave them." Arthur told Merlin and made his way to the throne room. Merlin hesitated unsure what to do when a boy around fourteen took the reins from him and he quickly moved to catch up with the prince.

"Don't speak; let me do all the talking." Arthur said turning to Merlin before pushing the doors open.

The King was sitting on his throne and rose to his feet when his son entered. "Arthur what is this about you leaving the castle to visit a small village just outside our borders. You were just safely brought back and you go off and disappear again."

"I am sorry father, I wanted to thank the man who informed our knights of my whereabouts personally and I heard he resided in Ealdor." Arthur replied standing firm and every inch the prince he was.

"I will let it pass this once, but the next time you run off like that again I will throw you in the stocks for a month. Is that understood?"

"Yes father."

"And who is this?" Uther questioned waving a gloved hand towards Merlin standing to the left a few paces behind Arthur.

"He is…He is my new manservant." Arthur stated beckoning Merlin forward. "Merlin" Merlin masked his surprised reaction and bowed to the King giving him one of his best smiles.

"Very well you are dismissed." Uther signaled, ignoring Merlin, and sat back on his throne.

Arthur and Merlin walked out, the doors shut behind them and they continued to make their way down several corridors until they reached another part of the castle leading to one of the lookouts. Arthur leaned on the edge and looked over Camelot. Merlin let his eyes take in the sight and the realization that he was where he belonged, with Arthur.

"Your manservant, huh…?" Merlin asked a serious look on his face. They stared at each other for a moment, neither saying anything for or against the idea.

Merlin was the first to give in. "Naw, I don't think you can afford me." He smiled sheepishly and took off running. Arthur made chase, their laughter filling the quite air.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue:

_One Month Later_

Merlin marched down the steps and moved across the courtyard. He glanced up at the castle, its red flags lay limp against their posts, the wind barely offering any relief from the heat. It was well into the afternoon. He quickly made his way towards the main gate. He cut through the lower towns, barely side stepping a moving cart.

He tightened his hold on the bag he carried and swirled around an elderly woman who smiled at him through her crooked teeth. A man bumped into him, stepping on his toes, and Merlin was quickly reminded why he tended to avoid busy days like today. There was to be a week-long celebration in honor of the prince's birthday.

Merlin quickly made his way out the castle, down the main trail, and straight for the woods. He took out a small pamphlet containing the descriptions and notes on the herbs he was to gather for Gaius, Camelot's court physician. A week into his stay in the castle King Uther had taken it upon himself to assign Merlin another job as Gaius' new assistant.

He spotted the last few herbs on the list and gathered them up into the bag. Just as he was about to head back to the castle, the wind picked up and Merlin looked up to see Kilgharrah hovering above the trees. He ran deeper into the woods and stopped when he reached a great clearing in the woods.

In one gracious movement, the dragon landed in front of him. "It has been too long since we last met young warlock." Kilgharrah spoke.

"I've just been busy attending to Arthur and helping Gaius." Merlin replied.

"Ah, yes the prince." Kilgharrah laughed.

"It's not so bad, really." Merlin shrugged and titled his head further to get a better view.

The great dragon chuckled a few more times, before placing a claw in front of Merlin and then removing it, the golden amulet resting neatly on the grass. "Balinor wanted to tell you that not everything is set in stone. Just because your adventure ended doesn't mean you can't start a new one." Kilgharrah said.

"What does that even mean?" Merlin called out as the great dragon rose into the air and flew off.

"You'll figure it out young warlock."

Merlin picked up the amulet and turned it over in his hands. An idea crossed his mind and he ran back to Gaius' chambers, an empty chamber was all that greeted him. He set the bag down and made his way to Arthur's chambers.

xxxxx

"Absolutely not," Arthur fumed.

Merlin dodged a goblet Arthur had sent flying in his direction, a frown on his delicate face showing he was not happy at all with the prince's answer. "I don't see why I can't, I am your manservant not your slave." He argued; ready to step out of the prince's chambers.

A hand on his arm stopped him and Merlin could feel the prince's chest on his back. He turned to face Arthur and forced the knot at the back of his throat down. Arthur gave him a "you wouldn't dare" look placing his hand on the door behind him shutting it.

"You're also my partner."

"It's not like I don't plan on coming back, just a few days is all I am asking for." His sad eyes making Arthur's serious face soften and give in to a much gentler look.

"Besides you can look at it as giving me time off." Merlin offered. "Well deserved if I may add, you should see what I have to eat and don't get me started on the chores." That one earned him a smack on the back of the head by the prince in question.

"Merlin, _shut up_."

xxxxx

Laura reread Merlin's letter for the millionth time and wiped her eyes with a tissue. She curled her toes further into the couch cushion in an effort to make herself more comfortable. Her eyes were bloodshot. Merlin had returned to his real home over a month ago and though Will dropped by as much as he could, the house still felt very lonely.

A knock on her door brought her to her feet. Laura hurriedly moved to answer it, wondering who it could be at such a late hour. Will hadn't called to let her know he was stopping by. The letter fell to the floor near her bare feet, her face full of shock.

Merlin and Arthur stood in the doorway. The young warlock wore a sheepish grin on his face, his eyes even more blue then she remembered.

...

Author's Notes:

*Faints* Gosh I love this story and hate it at the same time. I had to cut seven chapters and condense whatever I could into the last three chapters. So if there are any gaps in the story, lots of dialogue, and at time no sense at all in anything they that is probably where I cut some stuff out. Why? Time constrains. Mainly chapter 9 and 10 were all pulling hair and biting nails for me. That is what I get for spending all my time on the first 8 chapters and then going Writers Block meets Queen Procrastinator. I will be adding a Cut Scenes and notes on my LJ if anyone is interested in finding out what juicy and crazy scenes I left out. I'm already banging my head in being forced to cut out not one but two sex scenes. Yeah I started this story as a YA and it sure ended pretty much like one. *cries* But no woes I will someday come back and write in the scenes I wanted if I get enough requests for it. Thanks to every who read it to the end and I welcome all feedback.


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